By Comrade Ilaya Beckly – INPLM President
Once upon a time, in a land rich with culture and history, there lived a man chosen by his people to carry their voices into the halls of power.
He was not the wealthiest, nor the most educated, but the people trusted him because they believed he understood their pains, their bad roads, their poor schools, their forgotten youths, and their silent tears.
With joy and hope, they sent him forth, drumming songs of victory as he went to represent them.
In their hearts, they prayed that he would fight for them, speak for them, and bring light into their land.
But when he reached the corridors of power, something strange happened. The man who once ate roasted yam with his people now dined on golden plates.
The man who once sat under the mango tree to listen to the elders now sat in air-conditioned halls, sipping expensive wine.
The cries of his people grew faint in his ears, drowned by the sounds of luxury and the whispers of selfish ambition.
He began to believe that the power he held was his birthright, not a trust. He thought his people were too weak, too poor, and too powerless to challenge him. “I have built a structure,” he told himself. “I have money,
I have followers, I have power. Whether they like it or not, they will give me a second chance.”
But what he forgot is that people never forget who stands by them in their hour of need. Money can buy crowds, but it cannot buy loyalty. Structures built on selfishness crumble like sandcastles before the tide.
When the time of decision came, the people remembered. They remembered how he turned his back on them. They remembered how he forgot the promises he made and quietly, one by one, they chose another path.
On the day of reckoning, the man stood tall, expecting cheers and praise. But instead of songs of victory, he met silence. Instead of drums of celebration, he heard the whispers of rejection. His so-called ‘structure’ collapsed. His money could not save him.
Only then did he realize the bitter truth, a leader without his people is like a tree without roots.
No matter how tall it grows, it will surely fall.
And so, the man who once dreamed of a second chance discovered that he was only dreaming. For in the end, it is not money or power that secures leadership, but love, trust, and service to the people.
End of the story…….
