By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“Leadership is the sacred stewardship of the groan—the courage to lean into the tension of today to midwife the glory of tomorrow for people, corporations, and nations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

 Introduction: The Universal Sound of Growth

If you have ever led anything—a team, a project, a family, a company, or even a personal dream—you are intimately familiar with the sound. It is not a scream of terror, nor a shout of victory. It is something deeper, more primordial. It is the groan.

It is the late-night sigh over a spreadsheet that refuses to balance. It is the fervent debate in a boardroom about a risky new direction. It is the quiet frustration of a community leader facing systemic injustice. It is the personal cost of upholding integrity when compromise would be easier.

For too long, we have mislabeled this groan as failure, burnout, or a sign to quit. But what if we have it all wrong? What if the groan is not the signal of an ending, but the essential, non-negotiable birth pang of a new beginning?

This profound leadership pattern is revealed in the ancient text of Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

This passage reframes our struggle. The “groan” is the present suffering; the “glory” is the future revealed. The space between them is where true leadership lives. This is not a passive hope, but an active, gritty, and strategic journey of midwifing possibility into reality for people, corporations, and nations—all as an act of stewardship to God Almighty.

Part 1: Deconstructing “The Groan” – The Leadership Crucible

The groan is the pressure that forms the pearl. It is the tension between vision and current reality. For a leader, ignoring the groan is negligence; understanding it is wisdom; and navigating it is mastery.

A. The Personal Groan: The Weight of the Self
Before we lead others, we must lead ourselves, and this is where the first groans are heard.

·         The Groan of Discipline: The 5 a.m. alarm to invest in personal development when comfort beckons.

·         The Groan of Failure: The sting of a missed opportunity or a flawed decision that becomes the crucible of resilience.

·         The Groan of Loneliness: The burden of confidential decisions that cannot be shared, borne alone in the quiet of one’s office.

·         The Glory: This personal groan forges character, wisdom, and resilience. The leader emerges not just smarter, but wiser; not just skilled, but grounded. They become a source of stability for others because they have been refined in their own fire.

B. The Organizational Groan: The Birth Pangs of Innovation
Corporations and institutions do not transform through comfort. They evolve through necessary, and often painful, strain.

·         The Groan of Innovation: The financial drain and uncertainty of R&D, where countless ideas die so that one might change the world.

·         The Groan of Restructuring: The difficult, people-centric process of dismantling outdated systems to build more agile, future-proof models.

·         The Groan of Cultural Shift: The exhausting, long-term work of rooting out toxicity and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and empowerment.

·         The Glory: This organizational groan yields market leadership, sustainable profitability, and a legacy brand. The company transitions from being a mere participant in the market to a shaper of it, creating products and cultures that define excellence.

C. The Societal Groan: The Labor Pains of a Nation
The most complex groans are those of nations and communities. They are collective, historic, and deeply felt.

·         The Groan of Justice: The relentless, multi-generational struggle against corruption, inequality, and systemic oppression.

·         The Groan of Reform: The short-term political and economic pain endured for long-term national benefit—be it in education, infrastructure, or economic policy.

·         The Groan of Unity: The challenging work of forging a common identity and shared purpose out of diverse, and often divided, peoples.

·         The Glory: This societal groan builds prosperous, just, and stable nations. It results in a legacy of peace, a high quality of life, and a society where human potential can flourish for generations to come.

Part 2: The Global Landscape: Groans Heard Around the World

This “Groan to Glory” framework is not theoretical; it is actively unfolding on the global stage.

·         Local Context (Example: A Community Leader): A small-town mayor groans under the weight of a dying main street and youth exodus. The “glory” is not achieved by a single grant, but through the grueling work of rallying local businesses, attracting new investment, and revitalizing community pride—a glory seen in a thriving, vibrant town a decade later.

·         Corporate Context (Example: The Tech Industry): The entire tech sector is in a prolonged “groan” over ethical AI. The tension between breakneck innovation and societal safety is immense. The “glory” will belong to the leaders and corporations who navigate this groan successfully, establishing a new paradigm for responsible and transformative technology.

·         Global Context (Example: The Energy Transition): Nations worldwide are groaning through the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This involves economic disruption, geopolitical shifts, and technological hurdles. The “glory” will be a sustainable planet, energy independence, and new frontiers of economic opportunity for those nations that lead the way.

Part 3: The Leader as a Midwife of Glory: A Sacred Stewardship

Our role as leaders in every sector is not to avoid the groan, but to lean into it with purpose and perspective. We are, in the most sacred sense, midwives of possibilities.

Our core function is to “deliver possibilities.” This means:

1.     Seeing the Potential: Visioneering the “glory” hidden within the present struggle.

2.     Creating the Space: Building cultures and systems where the groan is acknowledged as part of the process, not a sign of failure.

3.     Providing the Resources: Equipping our people and our organizations with the tools, trust, and time to persevere.

4.     Guiding the Process: Steering the tension with wisdom, making the tough calls, and protecting the vision from short-sighted compromises.

And all of this is “to the glory of God Almighty.”

This is the ultimate “Why” that redefines success. When we lead with this mindset:

·         Our ambition is purified. Success is no longer about our ego but about our stewardship. The thriving corporation becomes a testament to God’s principles of order, creativity, and excellence.

·         Our endurance is fortified. Knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) provides a resilience that worldly motivation cannot match.

·         Our legacy is eternal. The “glory” we help reveal—a transformed life, a righteous organization, and a flourishing nation—becomes part of a story far bigger than our own.

Conclusion: Embracing the Sacred Tension

The journey from groan to glory is not a straight line. It is a cycle, a spiral of continuous growth and challenge. The glory of one achievement simply reveals the next horizon, and with it, a new, necessary groan.

Do not despise the groan. Do not fear it. Name it. Honor it. Lead through it.

For it is in this sacred tension that true leadership is forged. It is here that we partner with the Divine in the holy work of unlocking the God-given possibilities buried within our people, our organizations, and our nations.

The world is waiting for leaders who are not afraid to groan, for they are the only ones who will ever truly see the glory.

Let us lead accordingly.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a Recipient of the Nigerian Role Models Award (2024), and a Distinguished Ambassador For World Peace (AMBP-UN). He has also gained inclusion in the prestigious compendium, “Nigeria @65: Leaders of Distinction”.

Gunmen have abducted the Deputy Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Samaila Bagudu, in his hometown, Bagudu Local Government Area.

Sources said the gunmen stormed Bagudu town on Friday, shooting indiscriminately. According to the sources, the deputy speaker was abducted shortly after finishing his prayers and leaving the mosque for his home.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State Government Ahmed Idris confirmed the abduction to Channels Television.

Efforts to obtain further details from the Kebbi State Police Command on the incident proved abortive.

Also confirming the abduction, the Kebbi State Police Command described the attack as “regrettable and unacceptable.” In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, the Command vowed to rescue the Deputy Speaker unhurt.

According to the statement, a coordinated security response involving Police tactical units, military forces, and local vigilantes was immediately activated to track the kidnappers.

The joint team has since been combing suspected routes and forested areas around Bagudo in search of the abducted lawmaker.

The Command noted that the operation is being executed with precision and urgency, leveraging intelligence networks to narrow down possible hideouts of the armed group believed to be behind the abduction.

“The Police Command remains committed to ensuring the safe return of the Honourable member and the arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly act,” the statement read in part.

Commissioner of Police Bello Sani, while addressing the press, reiterated the Command’s dedication to safeguarding lives and property across the state.

He described the incident as a test of the Command’s resilience and promised that no effort would be spared in bringing the culprits to justice.

He also assured the people of Kebbi State that peace and security remain top priorities for the Command, urging residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid investigations.
CP Sani expressed appreciation for the swift support of the Nigerian Army and local vigilante groups, noting that their synergy demonstrates a unified front against banditry and criminal violence in the state.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the planned 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until the party complies with the statutory requirements of the party, the Constitution and the Electoral Act are met.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the party, the judge also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting report on the outcome of any national convention of the party without following the due process of the law as well as its guidelines and regulations.

The judge held that INEC is not entitled to give effect to the convention a party not done in accordance with the Constitution, Electoral Act and the guidelines/regulations of political parties.

The plaintiffs instituted the suit seeking to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of PDP scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State where new National Officers are expected to be elected on the ground of breach of the party’s Constitution.

The nine defendants are, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, National Organizing Secretary of the party, National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.