Law 1
NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

JUDGMENT
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
-Robert Greene, 48 laws of power

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo brought together a couple of his ministers and aides to form a group called “The Economic Team”. Their task was to come up with sound economic ideas for the government. The Economic Team, which was to be chaired by the finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iwaela, had about 11 other members, among which was the President’s economic adviser, Charles Soludo.

As the economic team got to work, Soludo soon became unhappy about the dominant position of Ngozi, the team’s chairperson. It appeared to him that she was in effect stealing the spotlight, and taking sole credits for most of the team’s work. “Why should I put in lots of effort and hard work and just hand it over to her?” he had complained. “Must she be the only voice for the team? Why can’t I get publicly recognized as well?” And when he could no longer bear being overshadowed by Ngozi’s presence, Soludo stopped attending the economic team’s meetings and broke away. He then focused on his primary job as the president’s economic adviser.

Soludo was bright and intelligent. He furnished the President with several brilliant ideas, and had a way of presenting it to the public in such a way that the credits would be to the President’s. He time and again made it look as if the brilliant economic policies were originally all of the President’s visions, and was always full of praise and admiration for his boss. He got closer to the president, visited him regularly in his office and often joined him for morning prayers at the presidential villa’s chapel. Months later, in 2004, Soludo’s fawning efforts paid off, when the president appointed him the governor of the country’s apex bank – The Central Bank of Nigeria.

Interpretation
As the central bank governor, Charles Soludo was very conspicuous and was very much seen and heard of. Over the years, even after leaving the Central Bank, Soludo never stopped talking about his times there and often boasted about being the best governor of the central bank the country has ever had.
Also, right after the central bank job, he joined politics and contested for the governorship elections of his home state in 2009. This is a clear indication that Soludo had always had political ambitions – reason why he craved public recognition right from the start. He tried realizing his goal with the economic team and had no worries dragging the spotlight with Ngozi, she was not the master, only a fellow courtier – albeit a senior one. But with the master – President Obasanjo, who is well known to be very vain, Soludo played smarter; he adroitly let Obasanjo take all the glory and ingratiate himself with the president. In the end, he was rewarded with the top job at the central bank – a position of much more relevance, from which he easily got publicly acknowledged, and even had his names printed on the naira notes – the country’s currency. Soludo got that which he had always wanted by observing the first law of power.

Takeaway Quote
“If your ideas are more creative than your master's, ascribe them to him, in as public a manner as possible. Make it clear that your advice is merely an echo of his advice.”
-Robert Greene

Side Note:
How to be a politician
A godfather can be the blessing to your hustle or the tool to your downfall. Never ever allow anyone to print your photo in the same size as that of your godfather on the same billboard or newspaper ad. Your photo must always be smaller and beneath that of your godfather.
Be(com)ing Nigerian, Elnathan John

Excerpts from my book "Transgressions and and Observances of the 48 Laws of Power in Nigeria
available on Amazon Kindle.
Find it on Amazon with the serial number: B09S3YZ465


NB: If you require a creative ghost writer for your memoirs, autobiographies, tell-all-tales, reach me via
email:serrickbytes@gmail.com

Please is it possible to get the hard copy of this to turn book?

Omihanifa:
Please is it possible to get the hard copy of this to turn book?

Only the ebook available for now. You can get it on Amazon Kindle