Jesus Christ: the Author and Finisher of Contingency Theory& Practice - Ik Muo, PhD

 

He Arose!                                  With  Ezeobidike Azike, Idu3 

 

My last intervention was about a month ago, when I examined the post-election pockets of protest and warned the arrogant political dealers to take note of what happened and/or is still happening in France, Tunisia, Egypt  Sir Lanka, Hongkong and Senegal as well as the EndSARS and  recent Cash-riots, and avoid the risks of taking the people for granted. Since then, I have been MIA (Missing in Action) because I went home to my roots ( Igbo-Ukwu) enjoy my leave  and got entangled with the activities usually associated with ground zero: funerals, weddings, meetings, and social visitations of all sorts. I was particularly engrossed with the Coronation of Alex Ezeobidike Azike as the Idu3 of Igbo-Ukwu. It was a David scenario as he joined the race after it had almost ended and actually defeated the Goliaths! Other matters that took my attention include funeral of our in-law, Honourable Joe Omeokachie Ogbonnia, who at 103, lived double the life expectancy of the average Nigerian male ) and the centenary birthday celebrations of Ide JNC Ezeife,(another in-law of ours) a teacher of teachers, community leader, pillar of the church and the last man standing in the Idu Cabinet.   (By the way, if you want to live 100+, just find a way to become an in-law to the Muo family!). In effect my missing in action was my fault and for this I am a penitent.

With Ide JNC Ezeife;               Honourable Joe

One problem with this commentary business, beyond breaking your head on which issues are worth commenting on, is that once you miss an hour, it becomes VERY difficult to determine where and how to start because a lot of waters must have passed through that mysterious bridge. Since I closed shop, a lot of ‘news-worthy news’ attempted to pass me bye. These include the revelation by the great LAI that INEC deliberately shut the BVAS, the DSS hoopla about interim government, almost one year after Afe Babolala had suggested it opendentially (19/4/22) and the treason allegation against Obi from far away US,  and the  deconstruction of  the concept of fascism by Wole Soyinka.  There were also an unfortunate turn of events as APC, that orchestrated and benefited from the coordinated intimidation, violence and butchery in Lagos,  started complaining of Wike’s chicanery in Rivers State( where BAT has just gone to pay an ‘official’ visit); Police statement, supported by PMB, that  the elections were peaceful, and their advice to ‘us’ to prosecute Oluomo if we found him guilty. The police also saw Oluomo’s xenophobic outburst as a joke( even when it was practicalised) but that of one of these Eze-Ndigbos as  treasonable. There was also our faster and steeper descent into Courtuocracy,  as 1044 cases are pending before the tribunals!

We also had the opening of Ebonyi State N36bn airport (with 10bn set aside for take-off), a state that has 56% poverty rate. Incidentally at the event some young Ebonyians were caught on camera scavenging from the leftovers, indicating what their topmost priority was/is! There was the stoppage of the Census after NPC had mobilised almost 100%, the stoppage of the fuel subsidy withdrawal( by a President that described subsidy as a scam) after $800m was already borrowed for palliatives, 10% of which would  have gone into consultancy; the alleged bouncing of Joe Igbokwe from Bourdilon and exclusion of ALL Okoro’s from BATs 29^th May Committee. There is also what Pat Utomi referred to as nihilistic rage in Sudan, (Utomi:When democracies fumble and tumble) unfortunately sponsored by our friendly foreign investors, who love us more than we love ourselves, and the  embarrassing rescue effort from Sudan for which $1.2m was expended: Nigerians in Sudan could not leave after others had left; the drivers (or the owners) of the busses allegedly stopped the buses at the middle of the desert in protest against non-payment;  at least one of the buses caught fire along the way and there is this unbelievable allegation that Nd’Igbo were debarked  from the buses.  We also had increasing incidences  of kidnapping and banditry( and PMB had promised a SAFER Nigeria), several lastminute ‘severance deals’ (including NDDC’s $15bn rail line deal and the Senate approval of the N22trn ‘ways and means’ advances from the CBN); 40% increment in salaries which excluded lecturers and doctors, the macabre dance at Adamawa where Binani proved that what a man could do, a woman could do better, the  inflation rate  of +22%, and PMBs  plea for forgiveness from Nigerians after he had declared that he was the best President in town.

@ Ebonyi Airport commissioning,  debts and forthcoming debits; white witch on duty!

The chief BATist disappeared immediately after the (s)elections, was shown with a 2019 picture breaking the fast with PMB in 2023 and was jubilantly welcomed by the A3W (Association of White Witches& Wizards), who or which announced that he won the elections in the spiritual realm and subsequently deployed  a special squad of 300 for his protection!  We have not heard from Atiku since then though his ‘boys’ occasionally show face while PO has been up and about and surprisingly despite being ‘number 3’, has been receiving all the darts from APC! Our debts  are now at N77trn( about N12trn in 2015)  while Kaduna State has just reinstated 1288 primary school teachers, 10 months after they were sacked for performing woefully in a competency test.

Some of these items may still show-face along the way but I just listed them here ‘in case of incasity’!  However, I am still in the Easter mood and I still celebrate Christ and His resurrection and I am doing so from a different dimension today. Two decades ago, I ran a five-part series on the ‘Biblical Foundations of Management’ (BusinessDay,13/8/03, 20/8/03, 27/8/03. 2/9/03 and 9/9/03). I started the series with the story of Moses, the FIRST Manager, and  his father in law,  Jethro, the FIRST Management Consultant, on the basis of what transpired in Exodus, 18: 13-24. Moses was single-handedly managing the affairs of the newly independent Israeli community of 600,000 men. He was thus on duty 24/7.  Jethro visited and felt (and rightly so) that it was a very suicidal task for one man and therefore advised him to divide the people into groups and sub-groups and appoint capable and properly educated leaders who would manage their problems and refer only difficult cases to him. An analysis of this consultancy package shows that it was indeed Jethro who “invented” the currently popular management principles/practices of departmentation (alphanumeric), delegation, empowerment, and management by exception. (see also Ik Muo( 2019): Management Principles, Practices, Processes; Enugu, Potter Press, p26).

This was an outcome of a comprehensive study of the Bible with a managerial eye, after I had  seen several management principles and practices  contained therein. Since then, I have continued to read the BOOK with two eyes: the spiritual and the managerial, and I have come to realise that Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection we celebrate this season is the author and finisher of Contingency Theory and practice.

The Contingency Theory believes that there is no best way of doing anything since it depends on the circumstances.  It applies to various aspects of management because there is the contingency theory of leadership, contingency theory of organisational structure and contingency theory of general management.  Thus, managerial practices depend on the circumstances(environment) because given situations influence managerial behaviours. Therefore, as far as management is concerned, there is no best way to manage; rather it depends… Managing thus differs among organizations depending on circumstances but differs for the same organization over time since circumstances change with time. The environmental factors usually mentioned in relation to contingency theories include technology, customers, government regulations, employees and unions, the general public and the demand-and-supply scenario.

I reached this VERIFiable conclusion by examining the way Jesus Christ handled the same situations, differently in different circumstances and we start by his miraculous healing methods. Some he spoke to, some he touched, some he applied mixed mud, some he instructed to tell no one, some he cured by remote control and some he used to teach lessons.  In the Old Testament, Tobit was healed with the gall of a fish (Tobit,11:7-8). However, when Jesus came on board, he smeared the man’s eyes with a combination of mud and saliva (John, 9:6-7). At the pool of Bethesda, He commanded the man to get up and walk there and then (John,5) but in another case, he took the man away from the crowd, put his finger in his ears, touched his tongue with spittle and issued a command (Mark, 7:32-34). For the Canaanite woman, He didn’t even see the sick child; He just said, let your desire be granted (Mt15:21-28) just as he did for the servant of the Centurion (Luke,7:1-10). But for the 10 leppers, He directed them from afar, to go and show themselves to the authorities, and not to tell anyone (Luke,17:12-19). If these do not evidence the application of contingency theory,  I wonder what else does!

Another exhibition of Christ’s mastery of the Contingency Theory and practice was in his cat and mouse games with the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and lawyers, who out of fear, pride, ego and the usual change-resistance, ‘countermmoted’ everything that Jesus did and said, and took several ingenious steps to entrap him.  To all these, he responded differently, obviously according to the circumstances. On one occasion, he gave them a parable (Luke,5:36-38); at other time, he withdrew from them (Mathew, 12:15), while occasionally, he deployed diplomacy and logic (as in the allusion to Caeser(Mt, 22,15-22; Mark, 11:27-31). He also   tongue-lashed them as when he called them a wicked and adulterous generation (Mt 12.39), brood of vipers (Mt 12:34) and chastised them for not repenting despite His various deeds (Mt,11: 20-24). At times he was even rude as when he referred to Herod as ‘that Fox’ (Luke 13:32). On one occasion, he got so angry and violent that he flogged the mallams engaged in currency exchange and sundry commerce in the temple, yet he subsequently was passive as a sheep led to the slaughter (Acts, 8:32) and silent before his executioners (Matthew, 26:62-63). And at other times, he refers them to history (Luke,6:3-5; Mark.2: 23-28) In one instance, he cursed a fig tree (Mark,11:12-25) but in another instance, he had mercy on mere weeds (Matthwe,13: 24-30). When he sent the disciples away in batches, he instructed them not to go with staff, bag, bread., money or extra shirt (Luke,9:3). But later, he directed them to take the purse, sack and other necessities of life (Luke, 22:35). In Mathew 26:52, he told his disciples that they that live by the sword shall die by the sword but earlier in 22:36, he had told them to get their swords, even if it meant selling their cloaks to acquire what was the WOMD (weapon of mass destruction) then! When they wanted to make him king, he ran( John,6:15) but when they wanted to kill him, he FULLY submitted because his kingdom was not of the world; ( Jn, 18:36)

Since this is not a spiritual or religious discourse, let me spare my readers on why and how He approached the same issues differently on different occasions. However, it is indubitable that  he shows an enviable expertise in the application of Contingency Theory and Practice. Anybody who disagrees with this assertion should go to court!

 May the light of the risen Christ shine on ALL men (and women too) of goodwill.

·         I am FULLY back, and regularity is henceforth assured.

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 - Ik Muo, PhD. FCIB. Department of Business Administration, OOU, Ago-Iwoye. 08033026624

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