NNAD Election 2024: How Chidi is Able to Silence Critics through Good Leadership – UPP-T Chairman

The National Chairman of Unity Peace and Progressive Team (UPP-T) Hon. Yusuf Mohammed Lawan has said the incumbent president of Nigerian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) Hon. Dr. Chidi Topaz Olujie and vice president Hon. Haruna Muhammad demonstrated uncommon courage, patient and good understanding in handling criticism from NNAD critics.

The UPP-T chieftain made the disclosure in a telephone chat with Inclusive News Network on Sunday.

Describing his perception of leadership, Lawan said “leading others especially in an organization as vast as NNAD is particularly very challenging and stressful task, which according to him required a lot of patient, respect, understanding and commitment to achieve realistic goals for NNAD.”

UPP-T leader observed, “Part of the responsibilities associated with being a conventional leader, is having to deal squarely with constructive criticisms, having to comprehensively distinguish between collective and self-centered, doctored criticisms, having to understand that ” being the Boss” in an organization is having to take thorough and hard decisions and make choices that can not necessarily satisfy everyone. He stressed that Dr. Chidi Topaz Olujie and Mal Haruna Muhammad had a deeper understanding of all the above which makes it easier for them to silence their bitter critics.”

He added “i am deeply convinced that before aiming to take a shot at NNAD’s leadership, both Dr. Chidi and Mal. Haruna had perfectly understood the rudiments of handling criticisms which helped them proportionately in assimilating variety of negative and positive criticisms coming from some members in the past four years.”

“Dr. Chidi Topaz Olujie and Hon. Mal. Haruna Muhammad’s masterful display of maturity and respect for the divinity of human beings in responding to staunch political critics is superb, their ability to distinguish between good and bad criticisms emanating from NNAD members is excellent, their unbiased stance on defending the general good of NNAD as a united entity rather than satisfying the selfish interests of a few is evidently manifested throughout the past four years of purposeful leadership” Lawan said.

According to him, Dr. Chidi/Haruna had persistently demonstrated absolute leadership in running an open administration that accommodate all members.

“The NNAD’s current leadership under Dr. Chidi has zero tolerance for favouritism, zero tolerance for nepotism, zero tolerance for tribalism and zero tolerance for religious bigotry and the likes. We have seen how this administration has always given a listening ears to the voices of the people, a prime example of anti- favouritism doctrine of the current leadership can be seeing in how the incumbent National Secretary General was investigated by an investigative panel and come out clean. The criticisms against the NSG was found to be politically motivated.” Lawan added

“We have seen how some sitting National Executive Members who are investigated and found guilty of offences considered to be prejudicial to the good image of our dear NNAD are relieved from their positions through constitutional means, this is absolutely necessary because the general good of NNAD must be valued and protected over the interest of a few as I earlier stated.”

“To those who have genuine complaints among our Deaf brothers and sisters throughout the country, i appeal to you to utilize the opportunity availed for you by this administration to make your voices heard through the periodic ” Questions and Answers with Chidi/Haruna” a programme initiated by this administration to serve as a medium of interaction between the NNAD leadership and the general members rather than penning embers of discord by making unnecessary noises here and there that can not add value to the development of NNAD ” the UPP-T Chairman advised

He further emphasized the urgent need for all NNAD members nationwide not to relent in supporting the two people-oriented leaders in their efforts to make NNAD greater again in the next four years by coming out en masse to drum support for their re-election bid.