Importance of Service Above Self

I continue today with my thoughts and experiences as a public servant in Nigeria. I believe that when we opt to work with Government, we have subscribed to work either as a public servant or as a civil servant …which ever it may be, we have opted to serve and the only worthwhile service I know of is the “Service above Self.”

In the course of rendering Service above Self, you will step on toes…big and small. You will deny yourself of certain luxuries, you will gain for yourself a high level of self-esteem, you would gain some level of respect…you would loose hangers on you thought were friends but you will make Heaven (God) proud and your land would remember you for good.

Service above self means your primary concern is ensuring integrity of the process and system you are responsible for. Ever considered it could have been anyone else but its you on that seat, managing that responsibility? So be humble and express gratitude via the attitude you bring on board.

So there I was preparing to report my stewardship to a new leadership in 2015 and I was faced with an ordeal on May 31st 2015. I had travelled to visit my son at Offa and I knew Rivers State would have a new Governor resume formally on Monday 01 June 2015, so I must be back to the State and on my beat early on that date, therefore I arrived back to the State on 31st May 2015 ready for the next day. Early as 6am I went out on my Walk…after an hour still energised I decided to ride a bit of bicycle. And from no where I found myself and the bicycle in the gutter…my left leg intertwined with the bicycle! What???? My leg was broken! So what happens to my work? Who would answer the calls and the questions that would surely come that morning and thereafter. My personal pain became secondary…and the natural wickedness of man’s mind within the workspace had entered full mischief mode. We had to ensure the cast was fixed and I resumed…even though I looked like someone that just returned from the land of the dead!

Never in my entire years of work…1990 to date have I experienced such pressures…but you see 1+God= Majority. And the scripture that says greater is He that is in you than they that are in the world became live.

I knew I owed it to my staff to make sure they had leadership. I knew they needed to be paid their salaries and ensure their work space and processes were intact. I knew the State Revenue must be protected. I knew the concept of “Autonomy of the Revenue Service” was not clearly understood. I knew the new leadership of the State needed to have accurate information to work with. I knew there were gaps, uncertainties and personal ambitions. And you’d see me in pain, on crutches in the rain climbing staircase to discuss…???

There were manoeuvres, attempts at manipulations, schemings, gang-ups…me & my clutches…so grateful for my family, friends and security details assigned to me plus a handful of others (but records show God never used many people in the past and He is still the same)…again we overcame. I never lost my cool. Didn’t even know I had that much strength!

Nothing is guaranteed to last forever, but while at it, give it your best shot and let posterity be the judge.

Today I can look back with dignity and gratitude that I allowed service to reign above self interest and preservation.