“If you desire to build a nation, build the people first with your words and then the people will build with their hands. Nation building does not begin with the hands, it begins from the mind of the leader ‘vision’ communicated to his followers via spoken words.” So, a wise master builder will first focus on building men before building any other thing. The problem with many underdeveloped nations is that their leaders pay little attention to the building of men, but give more attention to the creation of political offices and positions to be occupied by men, politicians and leaders who have not been built. I believe the first and right question to be asked by any king, ruler, president or leader of a nation or an organization at any level is how do I build a prosperous nation, organization or association? How do I make my people exceptionally different from the rest?

These must be the questions that should drive any leader; it may be political party leadership, organizational leadership or leadership at the grassroots i.e. the community where you may not be popular or visible.  And the answers to these questions must be answered first before desiring to assume a leadership position. When God appeared to King Solomon in 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 5, He said; ask! What shall I give you? See what Solomon said; I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. This is a king that assumed to be nothing before God. He wasn’t really a child but his posture was a posture of vulnerability.

See what Solomon requested from God, He asked for understanding to discern justice. In verse 12 of that Scripture, God said I have given you a wise and understanding heart. This talks about wisdom and it points to the fact that no nation or organization is built outside of these important criteria for leadership. Wisdom is the principal thing, and in all your getting including your degrees and certifications, you require it to build a prosperous nation. The Bible recorded in 2 Chronicles 1:15 concerning this King that “he made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.” What does this imply? It implies that as a result of the wisdom that was given to him by God, He made the nation very prosperous. Meaning that it was a confirmation of what God had told him that night when He appeared to him. See what the Lord said to the King; “because you have asked for wisdom and not for long life, or riches or the life of your enemies I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

Wisdom is an indispensable requirement or material used for the building of a nation. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:3-4, “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;⁴ by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” So, this article will show you the how and what you must know if you aspire to be the kind of leader that will build a prosperous nation or an organization. This is what the Holy Spirit has taught me and I believe it will bless you too.

Haven built this background, I would like to go into the core of the subject of discuss starting from a Scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:9. It says; “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.” (KJV)

This article may be coming handy especially to political aspirants desiring to occupy different leadership positions. Its primary aim is to further give perspective, revealing the heart of God and what He wants for His people. I know this is a familiar Scripture but the Holy Spirit would teach us fundamental leadership principles which would further equip us into becoming a great and a mighty nation or an organization and also effective leaders.

Let us look closely at the truth this Scripture puts forth to us; it says except you the leader utter by the tongue words easy to be understood. This is where wisdom comes to play, and that was why we began by saying wisdom is a must for leadership and nation building. Leaders are people of words, leaders win by words, politicians win by words, leaders build by words, people will follow the leader who has words. One of the ways the capacity of a leader could be measured is when that leaders speaks words easy to understand. The essence of speaking is so that what is being spoken about could easily be understood. And the possibility of this is absent without wisdom. This verse exposes us to the fact that visible progress, nation building, organizational progress does not happen in the absence of words. The starting point for development at every level strives on the words of the leader-intelligible words, words of wisdom.

The reason why people have not risen up to challenge the status-quo is because leaders are not speaking, the reason why people are confused and don’t know what to do is because leaders are not speaking. But this verse further breaks it down. It says; words easy to understand; Some other translations say intelligible words. This means that, words that challenge the minds of people, they are not words of folly, but words of wisdom. A leader who speaks is a leader who is ready to begin the journey of nation building. I would like you to follow me closely and patiently as I gradually build background for the information I am trying to pass across.

Words frame the metal construct of a people, words shape belief systems, it transfers philosophies, ideologies and convictions of a leader to the people. This is the starting point in case you have been wondering how a house is built by wisdom, this is it. This emphasizes the truth once spoken by Dr Sunday Adelaja, He said “material wealth alone is not enough to build a great nation.” I want us to go back to that Scripture again, it says; “except yea utter by the tongue” I want us to note this word ‘tongue’ the Scripture made us to understand that life and death lies in the power of the tongue. This means that the tongue is the most powerful tool and instrument a leader can use. Nation building and organizational restructuring is not all about hiring the best staffs, as good as it is, it begins with the tongue. This is the first step to building a nation. Build the people with words and then the people will build the nation with their hands.

We had established earlier that the words of the leader could either steer up zeal within the people of an organization or a nation to rise up and channel their energy towards a particular direction and those words are produced by the tongue. So, words produced by the tongue could either be intelligible easy to understand or unintelligible difficult to understand. Whichever of the divide it has consequences. I came across a quote I love, although I don’t know the name of the person it came from; it says; you can change your world by changing your words. So, words of wisdom have the capacity to change a nation, an organization and even a territory. This is how you know a leader that is willing to build a nation if given the opportunity or voted into power. His words or manifesto are intelligible, articulate, convincing and action driven.  

Haven had this background, I want us to see a Scripture in Genesis 11:1. It says; “now, the whole earth had one language and one speech.” Remember how we began from the top? We were able to understand that the tongue is powerful, it produces words that could either build or destroy and that leaders begin their building process by speaking words easy to understand, and the words the leader speak shapes the ideologies and philosophies of the people.

Now, this is how the building process begins. Going back to this Scripture, the Bible says; now the whole earth had one language and one speech. Look at it, it says the whole earth-excluding the heaven had one language and one speech. So, it means that the inhabitants of the earth have their own language and so they were not speaking the language of God, or could not understand the language of God. Because this is referring to two different realms. When a nation speaks a different language other than the language of God there won’t be a visible or palpable progress. I am sure someone reading this might want to raise a question; but there are nations that don’t speak the language of God why are they prospering? This question would be answered as we make progress with our read. Then verse 4 says; ‘then they said to one another’ because they could understand themselves, they said; “come let us build ourselves a city and a tower.”

The first thing I came to realize here is that if a people could understand themselves they could do the impossible. Secondly, language is an instrument for building a nation and mobilization of those who could build a nation. Thirdly, language is an instrument that foster unity. Two cannot walk together except they agree and the basis for the agreement is when they understand each other.  And so, when God wanted to scatter them, He simply scattered them by scattering their language. What does this mean? Until the language of God which is the language of love is being spoken by the leader, the people will never agree to come together to build a great and a prosperous nation. It means that where there is no unity the people are not speaking one language, where there is no progress, or developments the people are not speaking one language. The secret to speaking one language is to speak the language of love. This is a secret every politician and leader must have and know. And the people must learn to spot the language of hatred and disunity from the lips of their leader who is wants to pilot the affairs of the nation. Where there is misunderstanding the languages are different. These are the deterrents to prosperity and peace of a nation. So, this is the factor that must be considered by any leader that aspire to build a prosperous nation. Your language must be understood by all and sundry-the high and mighty, the low and feeble.

Now, these three are present because the language is one. The Bible says in verse 6 that God acknowledged by saying; “indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” Haven understood the power of language, how then can we develop or build a complex nation like Nigeria for example, that has different languages and yet the languages in the nation would see themselves as one and also understand themselves? This will lead us to re-visit verse one of Genesis chapter 11 that we read; it says “now the whole earth had one language and one speech.”

It is one thing for a people to speak one language, it’s another thing for a people with one language to have the same speech even though they speak the same language. I’m sure you are confused by this statement. Let me put it this way; language is a system of communication used by a particular country or community. Or it could also be said to be the principal method of human communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture. Did we see that? What about a speech? What is a speech? A speech is an expression or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulate sounds. Or it is a formal address or discourse delivered to an audience. The point I am trying to make is this; a language does not require a speech but a speech require the use of language. For example, it is not everyone who speaks English is able to communicate or articulate a thought, an action, or a subject matter intelligibly to a people to the point of understanding.

 So, while you could use a language to communicate, speech is relevant where a subject matter is talked about intelligibly and logically. So, even though the leader could speak a language, what does his speech say? Does it convey the vision the leader has for the people, so much so that there is an understanding and a corresponding response?

So, why have we been looking at all these? What does this mean? It means that for growth, development, progress and unity to be experienced within an organization or a nation or at any level of leadership, both the leaders and his/her people should not only have one language, but to have the same speech. The Bible is deliberate in its choice of words, it says the earth have one language and one speech. It speaks volume. So, the speech of the leader transferred to the followers through the use of language does not stop on the ears of the followers but become part of their heart. And until this happens building a nation or an organization would be a very difficult or maybe an impossible task. Remember what I said earlier; building begins from the mind not from the hands.

So, what are the languages any leader could build a nation with. Especially if you find yourself to be leading a complex society, with so many ethnic groups and diverse languages? How do you bring these tribes together in order to build a prosperous nation? I would like us to take the nation of Israel for example, as a case study; how was their king at different dispensations able to harness their unique characteristics and resources in order to emerge as one of the top economies in the world, in order to achieve victory in times of battle and in rough moments? Let us begin this way; the nation of Israel is made up of twelve tribes including the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh, how did these tribes come together to build a united and prosperous nation, how were they able to harness their unique characteristics to be able to execute projects?

Beginning from the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Dan: The Bible says in Exodus 31: “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.” I want us to note the tribe, it says “of the tribe of Judah.” This may be referring to one person, but could also refer to a collection of people who share the same interest, vocation or occupation. This is to show that the tribe of Judah wasn’t just leading because the scepter of kingship was with them, This Scripture described them a people who are artistic, creative and imaginative. Verse 3 to 5 says; And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, ⁴ to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, ⁵ in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

Now bringing it home to our contemporary society especially in Nigeria where some tribe believe leadership and governance is their birth right and then there is nothing else they have to offer to the nation. No nation or organization can develop like that. Kings and leaders are also builders.  Nehemiah is an example. This place clearly shows us that in addition to the privilege the tribe of Judah have, they are skillful and they are craftsmen. Going to verse 6 the Scripture says “And I, indeed, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you.”

I want us to note that word, I have appointed him with Aholiab from the tribe of Dan. What is the lesson we should learn from this? Even though Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah, and Aholiab from the tribe of Dan, there was a divine appointment instructing them to work together since they possess the same skills. What then is expected of the leader? These two tribes Judah and Dan have an important role to play in the development and building of the nation. Their language or tribe may not be the same but the speech of the leader could make them execute a task excellently well. So, therefore, the leader must bring them together, each one contributing his own quota. The problem we have as underdeveloped nation is that we lack leaders who could see similar characteristics between tribes of different communities, state, or geo-political zones and bringing them together so as to build the nation or organization that we desire.

The tribe of Joseph: These are the dreamers. Exodus 1:8. “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” As short as this verse is, it carries a vital lesson that we should learn from as leaders and as a nation. This verse simply said a leader, a king emerged who did not know the tribe of Joseph. The question is; is Joseph a very important figure in Egypt that every leader that assumes leadership must know? The answer is yes. The question now is; in our societies, communities, organizations and nation are there tribes that we must know who have labored in time past to bring the nation or organization to the glory that it has today? Most leaders don’t take history very important.

But in order to build a strong economy the leader who has emerged must pay attention to history. Soekarno once said “a great nation is a nation that respect the services of its heroes.”  There is a place where the nation is coming from, who were the contributors? What was their pain? What were their vision and intention? Upon what foundation was their constitution founded? What agreement did they make with their former colonies? And what is the direction the nation is heading?  Until you know where you are coming from as an organization or nation, you don’t know where you are heading. Why did this Scripture so much stress the tribe of Joseph as a tribe that must be known by every king? This is the tribe that has the capacity to predict futuristic outcomes, they have foresight and possess the ability to predict danger ahead and to lead the nation through difficult times and terrains. Any leader that ignores such a knowledgeable tribe does it at his own detriment. Egypt was a case study.

The tribe of Issachar: 1 Chronicles 12:32 says; “Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.” This particular tribe in Israel have wisdom, discernment, and insight, they know what to do in every given season, they are knowledgeable and so they could give direction to the nation. They know what the other tribes ought to do per time. How much of this category of tribe have you recognized in your nation or organization? Are you putting it into use?  Do you have plans to merge them with other tribes so as to achieve national goals.

The tribe of Levi: This talks about spiritual leaders, a tribe given over to God by covenant. Why did I say this? They are a tribe of priests. So therefore, there are certain covenants that back them. Your association with them brings you under that covering and makes you a benefactor or partaker of it. The tribe of priests are not a tribe to joke with neither should they be ignored. A nation of priest is a nation that will prosper even when the odds do not speak to their favor. I am not talking about religious priest; I am talking about men who have attained certain stature in the Spirit. Politicians associate with these people only to give them gifts and that is all. I wonder if they consult them or seek their advice on matters of national interest. These group or tribes could also be Called gate keepers or watch men. These tribes play a very important role in the building of every nation. They enforce security and order making sure that righteousness and justice prevails in a given territory. Their responsibility is to put the leader in check making sure that the city being built is not destroyed by enemies or external aggression. So, they are always on guard spiritually and keeps the nation on alert in case of impending danger.

What do you think would happen to a nation that recognizes these tribes, bring them together, allowing each and every one of them contribute to nation building? That nation would be exceptionally prosperous. But the lack of knowledge of the existence of these tribes and the inability to harness their unique competencies is what has kept most nations and organizations at a standstill. So, your ability to bring together these tribes even though they speak different language, via your speech will inevitably set any nation, any organization on the path of prosperity, and economic buoyancy.

Thanks for the gift of your time, We are Apeh Francis Abah and Apeh Francis Abah!

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