Who Gave You the Nerve to Lead? The Weight They Pretend Not to Feel

A blistering challenge to ambition without accountability—and a stark reminder that the pursuit of power, without understanding its burden, borders on recklessness.

In an era when political ambition is often dressed up as spectacle, this piece stands apart with rare sobriety and moral clarity. Basita Michael writes with a steady, deliberate hand—each sentence carrying weight, conviction, and an unmistakable sense of responsibility. The penmanship is both elegant and forceful, capturing not only the gravity of leadership but also the quiet courage it demands. What follows is not merely commentary, but a reflection that challenges, unsettles, and ultimately calls for deeper integrity in public service.

And now, without comfort, without illusion, and without apology, Basita Michael confronts the brutal truth of leadership—stripping away its pageantry to reveal the crushing burden, the sleepless weight, and the moral courage it demands from any who dare to seek power:

‘Those who aspire to become President of Sierra Leone are either exceptionally brave or dangerously untroubled by the enormity of the burden because anyone who truly understands the weight and genuinely desires to improve the lives of ordinary people ought to approach the office with a certain degree of fear and trepidation, not vanity and comfort.

To govern a country burdened by poverty, unemployment, weak institutions, concerns about the rule of law, and the growing drug menace is the kind of responsibility that should rob a leader of sleep.

Our beloved Sierra Leone does not need leadership that treats governance as entertainment or celebrity culture. It needs leadership capable of feeling the weight of the nation every single day, because the weight is simply too heavy to carry lightly.

For Sierra Leone’s sake, one can only hope those who seek to lead truly understand the burden they are asking to carry.”

Basita Michael on X handle @MichaelBasita

A searing reflection on power, responsibility, and the dangerous ease with which leadership is too often pursued without reckoning with its true cost.