Permit me to begin by outlining Mr. Peter Obi’s itinerary over the past week.
He was in the United States and Europe, where he visited several cities. He returned to Nigeria on Thursday evening. By Friday morning, he was already in Enugu to attend the 70th birthday celebration of Prof. Barth Nnaji.
Later that afternoon, he travelled to Lagos for the inaugural lecture of a professor at the Lagos Business School. From there, he paid a visit to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, after which he attended several other meetings.
That same day, he boarded the last flight to Abuja, where another round of engagements followed. From Abuja, he travelled to Anambra, his home base.
He expectedly started with a thanksgiving mass at Onitsha. After the mass, as I write, we are on our way to St. Raphael Hospital, Umueri, where he has chosen to celebrate his birthday by touching lives.
He is in the South-East specifically for this humanitarian outreach and will later today return to Lagos for another series of engagements.
I have deliberately presented this itinerary to illustrate just how busy he is. Peter Obi is a man in a hurry – not in the reckless sense, but because he believes that Nigeria cannot afford to waste any more time.
Naturally, those who keep such demanding schedules cannot possibly do everything or satisfy everyone. Human limitations remain exactly that – limitations.
This explains why it is impossible for him to acknowledge or personally visit every supporter. Yet, irrespective of differing opinions, I am still to see any former governor who has remained as close to ordinary people as Peter Obi.
How many former governors still attend the family events of their aides years after leaving office?
When I first saw the narratives surrounding Mr. Isaac Fayose, I called my principal. He told me he had already spoken with him and intended to visit him. I was pleased that he eventually did, despite the criticisms from some quarters.
Some argued that it took public pressure and persistent complaints before he acted. I disagree. No one, however willing, can possibly visit everybody. But when circumstances make it appropriate to identify with someone, he does so without hesitation.
This morning, I listened to one of Peter Obi’s most dedicated supporters, Mr. Magnus Oraka. In his characteristic humorous manner, he jokingly feigned anger, saying that Obi would now have to visit him too.
That light-hearted remark reveals something profound. The enormous support Magnus has given Peter Obi over the years would make an outsider believe he is on Obi’s payroll. Yet he is not.
Like countless others, he gives freely because he believes in an ideal rather than in personal gain.
That is the organic nature of the Obidient Movement. It is a movement of ordinary Nigerians united by a common aspiration for competent, accountable, and compassionate governance.
Its members are not held together by contracts, appointments, or financial inducements. They are bound together by hope and shared conviction.
Indeed, the Obidients need Obi, and Obi equally needs the Obidients. Everyone understands that the task before them is greater than any individual. It is now all eyes on the ball – the collective pursuit of a better Nigeria.
That is why the visit to Isaac Fayose carries a significance far beyond a courtesy call. It sends a reassuring message to every supporter, whether or not they have received a personal visit, that Peter Obi values every genuine contribution.
It affirms that appreciation is not measured only by physical presence but by sincere recognition of sacrifice and commitment.
That, ultimately, is the enduring lesson of the visit to Isaac Fayose. It was not merely about one man. It was about reassuring an entire movement that no genuine act of love, loyalty, or sacrifice goes unnoticed.
It was a reminder that while a leader may not always be physically present, gratitude can still be genuine; that while he cannot be everywhere, he can still strive to make everyone feel valued.
And perhaps that is the essence of servant leadership: not the impossible task of pleasing everyone, but the constant effort to ensure that everyone knows they matter.
