To Sir Sam Jonah, leadership is not a status but a moral contract, and too many African societies have suffered because that contract has been broken.
“Leadership is a sacred trust,” he stressed in an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray as monitored by MyNewsGh.
“People are entrusting you with their lives, their hopes, their dreams. You can’t afford to let them down.”
He said good leaders must inspire, uplift and respect the people they serve — not enrich themselves at the public’s expense.
“If you are corrupt, nakedly corrupt, you are not a leader,” he stated bluntly.
Jonah expressed worry over the culture of impunity that has allowed scandals to become commonplace.
“We entrust you to build us roads and half the money goes into pockets. We entrust you to look after our rivers and you betray the trust.”
He argued that leadership must be measured by the number of people empowered to achieve greatness, not by titles or power.
“How do you want to be remembered?” he asked. “Leadership is about legacy.”
Jonah praised President John Mahama for resisting calls to amend the constitution to extend presidential tenure.
“I know the man I know would not countenance that nonsense,” he said. “It’s utter nonsense.”
While hopeful about recent efforts at accountability, he emphasized that national transformation won’t be achieved by politicians alone.
“All of us are leaders at various levels,” he noted. “We must make sure our voices are heard — and help make the work of the trustee easier.”
