With 7.2m US dollars the United States Secretary Of State William Seward, purchased what is now the State of Alaska. That was on March 30, 1867. He had been appointed by the venerated President Abraham Lincoln.
The land was unexplored and thought to be too expensive. The Russians sold it to checkmate British interests in the Pacific.
Seward was criticized roundly at the time. Some said he was crazy and termed the deal " Seward's Folly". Seward had difficulties convincing the US Senate of the value of the acquisition. The Senate ratified the treaty that approved the purchase by just one vote.
Ultimately, buying Alaska proved a valuable move. It increased the size of the US by nearly 20 percent, in 1889 gold was discovered in Yukon, a town in Alaska and petroleum later, which is now its most lucrative mineral resource.
Not a few think that Russia made a humongous error to sell a rich item for peanuts. That is the thinking centuries down the line. However, the flipside is William Seward's, then a fool now a wise leader.
He had vision. He saw what his countrymen could not. He believed in it and went bald headed for it. This is the stuff great leaders are made of.
Nigeria needs today, leaders of this make. She needed it since 1914. Seward was a visionary, a hero and critically, a Great Leader. Would we dare to raise such leaders now? Starting from our homes to the public space, for the benefit of generations to come, let us raise Sewards.
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