Odita Sunday 
By Ewere Okonta, PhD
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eobnewsmedia@gmail.com
eob.org.ng
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be at the top. Every ambitious person wants to rise, to become somebody, to make money, occupy a position, build an empire and command respect.
The problem begins when a man gets to the top and starts behaving as if he owns the mountain.
Some people arrive at the top and immediately forget the people who helped them climb. They forget their humble beginnings. They forget that somebody occupied that office before them. Most dangerously, they forget that there is God.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
In simple Nigerian English: your time will come, and your time will pass.
King Saul was once the big man in Israel. Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon with extraordinary power. Haman became so powerful that he expected people to bow before him. Yet none of them remained at the top forever.
That is the warning for today’s big men.
Nigeria’s big men should remember
Nigeria has produced presidents, military rulers, governors, ministers, business tycoons and political godfathers who once appeared untouchable.
Yakubu Gowon, Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha and others occupied extraordinary positions of power. Today, their seasons have passed and history has moved on.
That is the nature of power.
The governor who is being followed by a convoy today will eventually leave Government House.
The senator whose phone calls are answered in seconds will one day leave the National Assembly.
The political godfather who decides who gets an appointment today may eventually discover that nobody is answering his calls.
That is why power should be used with humility.
Because political office is a rented apartment, not a family inheritance.
The same thing happens in business
Some Nigerian businessmen once dominated their industries. Their names were everywhere. Their companies were household names. Their wealth attracted politicians, celebrities and even traditional rulers.
But businesses also have seasons.
Companies collapse. Empires shrink. Markets change. Technology disrupts yesterday’s champions. Even the man whose photograph is hanging in every office today may eventually become a footnote in a business textbook.
So, dear businessman, make your money; but don’t let your money make you.
Build an empire, but don’t worship the empire.
And when you become successful, remember the young man who is still selling from a roadside table. You were once there.
Social media has created another kind of big man
This generation has produced a new class of celebrity: the social-media big man.
Everything must be posted.
New car – post it.
New house – post it.
Private jet – post it.
Dinner with politicians – post it.
Meeting with a billionaire – post it.
Even ordinary lunch sometimes requires three cameras and a photographer.
Social media can make a man feel more important than he really is. But Instagram followers are not a succession plan. Facebook likes cannot stop death. TikTok fame cannot guarantee tomorrow. And 100,000 followers cannot prevent people from forgetting your name when the next celebrity arrives.
Today you are trending. Tomorrow another person will trend.
That is how the internet works.
Even in the family, remember your season
Some fathers become kings in their homes. Nobody can question them. Nobody can disagree with them. Nobody can suggest anything.
“I am the head of this house!”
Yes, you are.
But being the head does not mean becoming a dictator. Your children will grow.
The little boy you command today may become a successful businessman tomorrow.
The daughter you dismiss because she is “only a child” may eventually become the person paying your medical bills.
The wife you continually humiliate may one day become emotionally stronger than the marriage you thought she could never leave.
Don’t use today’s authority to destroy tomorrow’s relationship.
Children grow. Employees resign. Friends relocate. Politicians leave office. Businesses change hands. Beauty fades. Strength declines. And seasons change.
When you reach the top, lift somebody
The best people at the top are not those who make everybody kneel.
They are those who make it easier for others to rise.
If you become a professor, help younger academics.
If you become a politician, empower people beyond your political circle.
If you become wealthy, create opportunities.
If you become a boss, train your staff.
If you become a parent, raise children who can surpass you.
If you become famous, remember the people who knew you before fame.
Don’t pull down the ladder after climbing it.
One day, somebody else may be the one standing at the top, and you may need his hand.
Big man, remember God
My message today is not against ambition.
Please, aspire.
Work hard.
Make money.
Become influential.
Build your company.
Win elections.
Become a professor.
Buy your house.
Drive your car.
Reach the top.
But when you get there, don’t play God.
Don’t oppress people because you have power.
Don’t humiliate people because they need you.
Don’t destroy people’s careers because they refused to worship you.
Don’t assume that because you are powerful today, you will remain powerful tomorrow.
There is a God above every governor.
There is a God above every billionaire.
There is a God above every professor.
There is a God above every king.
There is a God above every political godfather.
And there is a God above every social-media big man.
No man stays at the top forever.
So, while your name is still being called, use it to answer somebody’s cry.
While your phone is still ringing, answer someone who needs help.
While you still have power, use it responsibly.
While you are still alive, make your life count.
Because one day, the convoy will stop.
The office will change hands.
The applause will cease.
The followers will move on.
The younger generation will take over.
And history will ask one simple question:
“What did he do with the opportunity God gave him?”
That, my friends, is the question every man at the top should answer before his season expires.
Dr Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media, a family-values advocate, teacher and writer. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor.
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