By Reuben Onyishi (Ugoachataberu)

According to Plato, in his Republic, the philosopher king is a hypothetical ruler in whom "political skill is combined with philosophical knowledge." It is a concept of a city-state ruled by philosophers as Plato expounded in his Republic, written around 375 BC. Alexander the Great, a student of Aristotle's, is described as the archetypal philosopher king for his wisdom, generosity, temperance and courage, as laudably said of him by his contemporary, Onesicritus. 

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In essence, leadership finds true expression in the hands of the philosopher king. He is a thinker. What else is philosophy but thinking? Martin Heidegger articulates it in his book, What is Called Thinking?, holding that we have done much more than we have thought. And that action driven from thoughtlessness can only be a disaster. And we have suffered much disaster in the actions of thoughtless rulers. A philosopher king thinks around ideas with deeper insights more than any other person of his own experience, and has the capacity to translate his thoughtful ideas into tangible realities. Perhaps, Raymond Williams has this in mind with his term, complex-seeing, as posited in his book, Illuminations. Complex-seeing is one's ability to see the deeper sides of his object other than the seductive surface configuration from which the ordinary minds feed and get intoxicated. Alexander Pope, the great English essayists, had in his Essay on Criticism, a poetic piece, advised that the Pierian Spring be drunk deep, or not tasted at all, for a shallow draught intoxicates the brain, but drinking largely sobers us again. Men who have taken a good draught of knowledge rarely make noises. Whatever comes out of their mouth is measured with value and impacts. Peter Mbah is a man of few and measured words spoken softly yet with candour, grace and power. He is a philosopher king. Philosopher kings have the ability to do what they say. Their words do not return void, but philosopher kings are rare. Enugu State is exceptionally lucky to have one with whom we must not trifle.

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Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has shown his capacity on various occasions and in various dimensions. That the governor-elect of Enugu State is a philosopher king is no doubt. No one ever encounters him whose doubt, if any, is not healed. Nicodemus met Jesus by night and proclaimed that of a truth no one could do the things Jesus did if they did not come from above. Indeed, Peter has uncommon grace and panache. He exudes knowledge, wisdom and abilities of extra-human dimension. He holds in his palm the nitty gritty of good governance and economic development. He speaks extempore, articulating his thoughts with every ember of clarity and perspicuity. He is a great thinker with a third eye with which he sees the detailed side of his objects. In a lifetime, and for a state like ours, and a clime in which we operate, a philosopher king may be born in a century. Even at that,how many of them find their way into their habitat- leadership? They might even have been inhibited by democracy itself. That may even sound paradoxical. Why not! Aristotle, himself a student of Plato's had dismissed democracy as the worst form of government because it can lead to the enthronement of a minor when the majority is foolish. A foolish majority may be a product of politics, especially in our clime where voting decisions are in dalliance with gratification. A minor in the sense in which Aristotle uses it is not a function of age. It is rather a clear lack of capacity. Capacity here consists in competence as honed by knowledge, wisdom, education, exposure and deep insights into the whys and wherefores of leadership.

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In our clime, leadership has been abandoned to minors who make a mess of it, groping in the dark on a throne to which they are strangers. They are foisted on us by the brand of democracy we practice. They mess up the economy, pander to selfish interests and make a mockery of governance while the people suffer. Enugu State is lucky, or rather prudent to have made the best choice of a philosopher king for the throne in the person of Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.

When Shakespeare holds that some are born great; some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust on them, he might have been looking at the various dimensions from which the philosopher king could be cut. Leadership abilities may be innate, as may be wisdom, but knowledge is achieved. It is not enough that anyone is born great, they have to run with it, hone it, and position it for deployment in its area of benefit to humanity; otherwise, it may remain dormant forever. Many great destinies are buried in graves unfulfilled with highfalutin rosy epitaphs.

It might not have been easy for Peter Mbah to rise from Nazareth. Owo Nkanu could not have been a choice destination for greatness. But Peter has known he carries a great destiny and set out early in life for its fulfillment, trudging the tuotous pathway to the aristocratic palace of his bright destiny in leadership stoically. The making of a great man no man can tell. It is a toil of untold patience and Spartan endurance. Peter overcame; got to the fountain and drank a good deal of it. He did not search for the whale in some stream at Owo; he rather relocated to the high sea in which whales inhabit. Peter made sure he got the best of trainings in world-class institutions of learning. He prepared himself for leadership and when he was done, he took the right step in the right direction. Today the rest is history. Not even the spanners in the wheel thrown by opponent minors in the form of all manner of false allegations and besmear campaigns during the electioneering process could stop Peter.They rather bolstered his resolute determination to serve the people of Enugu State with a clear view and roadmap to the achievement of zero level poverty headcount index in the state by growing the economy from $4.4 billion GDP to $30 billion in eight years.

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Enugu has so far made the best choice of a great leader, a transcedental one, highly brilliant, visionary, resourceful, urbane, strong, reliable, courageous and compassionate. Peter has come to serve and indeed he will serve well. In his acceptance speech, he reiterated his readiness to hit the ground running. Peter also considers the propositions he made in his manifesto modest. He will even do much more. He will assemble a crack team of go-getters who will help him to achieve his dream of a new Enugu State. Peter is a top-notch executive with private sector-based excellent antecedents which he wants to replicate in his governance of Enugu State. Within a short while, Ndi Enugu shall have known a philosopher king is come to the throne.So, Ndi Enugu should guide the minors desperate for power. We do not need any distraction at all. Peter is focused. The media hype of anyone going to court is not only childish but unnecessary. If you have gone to court, then shut up and allow the court to decide. All this media propaganda is not only childish but also otiose, and shall waste away as would water over a duck's back. All eyes of Ndi Enugu are on the philosopher king, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, to whom they clearly gave their mandate. Any other thing is a distraction which Ndi Enugu must not allow to fester. Peter is surely eager to deliver as soon as he is sworn in on 29th May, 2023. Indeed, our tomorrow is here.