The statusquo says your generation cannot lead the nation, that your voice does not matter.Now is the time for you to make your voice known. The statusquo says, youths cannot go into politics, the statusquo says no to best global practices, stand up and challenge the statusquo
EMMANUEL UKUDOLO I Monday, July 09, 2018
VICTORIA ISLAND, Lagos, Nigeria – Experts in the nation’s educational sector have canvassed for inclusion of leadership training in educational curriculum as a way of preparing the youths for quality leadership. The experts made the observation while speaking on the subject, “Purposeful leadership for sustainable national development, Day out with the Youths” at the 2018 Youth Leadership Forum put together by Redeemer’s University and BrandiQ in Lagos.
Leading others in the crusade for inclusion of leadership training in educational curriculum is Dr. James Tar Tsaaior, a professor at the School of Media and Communication Studies, Pan African University. The professor who was addressing the sub-title “Communication to drive purposeful leadership”, noted that there is deficit in leadership gap in Nigeria due to failure to understand the fact that leadership is not an occupation.
According to him, to talk about purposeful leadership for national development, there is the need to prepare for leadership. He posited that development is stunted in Nigeria because of lack of preparation for leadership. For him, essentials of leadership include vision and that leadership must be dedicated, committed, selfless and emphathic.
“These are qualities leaders who have changed societies cultivate”, he said. While refering to the cartoon, Lion King as a representation of the African narrative, he added that a true leader must have the interest of the people at heart.
The professor was of the view that the best place to start preparation for leadership is in schools and university and that there is the need to develop a curriculum on leadership. He said a leader that is concerned with the welfare of his people will ensure that the subjcts are protected.
“But if you have a leadership that is selfish it becomes difficult to accomplish that”, he said.
In his contribution, Professor Vincent Chinedum Anigbogu told the audience that national building is a science which guides leadership when initiated. According to him, for any nation to develop, they must evolve a set of disciplined people and that quality character is fundamental to national development.
While referring to the transformation in Singapore, he said there was delibrate plan to build people who behave well. As he puts it, organised thinking does not happen by chance. “Nations who wants to develop must develop systematically. Put people in their area of strength. Reject nepotism, reject man-no-man, put square pegs in square holes”, he said, stressing that the Chinese legend, Lequan Yu will not give favour even to his parents.
Professor Anigbogu called on Nigerians to learn the discipline of processing natural resources instead of the present practice of excavating and selling them in their raw state. For him, instead of selling crude oil, quality leadership for national development entails processing the raw oil at home and exporting the components, which are petrol, diesel, kerosene, etc, adding that in the process jobs are created at home. He said exporting raw resources creates jobs for nations who buy them.
Besides, he emphasize the need to monitor every government policy. “Monitor every policy, if it works, keep it and it fails, jettison it”, he adviced, noting that the develoment of Singapore was predicated on pragmatic decision making.
“”Life is governed by system. students must have an organised way of thinking. Establish these culture in our universities”, he adviced. In her reaction, Mrs. Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi Omotola , Marketing Manager, Guinnes Nigeria Plc, said how far an individual can go in life is predicated on self discipline and that timing is very essential.
For her, a leader without followers is not a true leader. This, she said accounts for the reason those saddled with leadership responsibility must be considerate in the way they treat others.
In his contribution, Dr. S. Orgu called on leadership to learn to accept responsibility.
“If we continue to give excuses, we are not doing well. Young people need to become more responsbile. Key into commitment, courage, self-discipline and culture”, she said and warned, “ when you fail, don’t hit yourself too hard. It is an opportunity to try again. He called on youths to look for role models in Africa and learn to take responsibility.
“Be compassionate, aim for excellence, be hardworking and be consistent”, he said, adding that opportunity don’t come screaming. “they come disguised as obstacle”, he said, adding that leadership is a skill that can be learned and urged the youths to take advantage of the “Not too young to run Act” recently ascented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Be problem solvers to become influential. If they need you, they will pay for you. Build competence, think creatively, key into entreprenureship. Prepare yourself for opportunity so that when it comes you can grab it”, he said.
Earlier in his keynote address, Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Professor Debo Adeyewa said that in discussing leadership, people talk about change and wonder what the change is all about, fake or real. He noted that youths of today are leaders of tomorrow and that they must stop crying and take the bull by the horn. For Chairman Sahara Energy, Mr. Tonye Cole, if Nigeria must develop, the first thing to do is to challenge the statusquo.
He explained that time remains the most expensive commodity and that as a consequence, the youths must begin what they need to do. “Start immediately, don’t wait”, he advised. He said that having traversed the African region, what he sees all over is anger and that a new face of anger is brewing and called on youths to channel thier anger in a proper way to prevent it from being destructive.
He challenged the youths not to wait on government to establish policies to stimulate them since that era is long gone. “Think about the power of numbers, skill and education, the power you have to make the changes”, he asserted , stressing that Nigeria has the brightest brains in entertainment, litrary science and all that.
According to him, talent is univrsal but that opportunity is not. He said opportunity abound in Nigeria and tasked the youths to stop complaining. “ Rise up and make the difference. Fight for what you believe in. Stand up for what is right”, he said. He explained further, “the statusquo says your generation cannot lead the nation, that your voice does not matter.Now is the time for you to make your voice known. The statusquo says, youths cannot go into politics, the statusquo says no to best global practices, stand up and challenge the statusquo”, he told the youths.
Cole noted that God has a purpose for the youths and challenged them to be proud to be Nigerians wherever they are and never to allow anyone to tell them that they are less being. He said that leadership comes with enormous task that requires constant sacrifice in doing things excellently over and over again.
In her presentation, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Parminder Vir Obe who represented Chief Tony Elumelu spoke on building the next generation of African business leadership. As she puts it, to achieve that goal, the youths must be ready to see opportunity and seize it. She said that at the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the believe is that the youths have thier destiny their hand. She urged the youths to take risk, noting that there is no success without any risk. Taking inspiration from Tony Elumelu who is just 62, she said, “he took risk and he is today a shinning light in the continent”, she said.
“If you want to be a leader, you must take risk. That risk starts now”, she said. On fear of failure, she said: “Never stop at your first failure. Be optimistic and learn from your failure”, and called on the youths to have a vision that is sustainabe and that nationality is not an obstacle, adding that though a British born Indian, she has been able to rise to the level of a CEO. She noted that Africans must build its own leadership like Tony Elumelu and that Africans must resist the temptation to idolise role-models from abroad but to look in ward into Africans as rolemodels.
She said the Tony Elumelu Foundation(TEF) is grooming 10,000 entrepreneurs in Africa who will create one million jobs and that the foundation has already entered into partnership with the French government for $10 billion for african entrepreneurs.
She said the TEF wants the next generation of African leaders to be job creators and not job seekers and that nationality is not an obstacle. “Find that leadership within”, she advised, stressing that the mindset must change and that AFricans must build its own rolemodels.
“Nigeria is the destination. Nigeria is blessed in every respect. There is no reason why Nigeria cannot and will not lead the development of Africa”, she said.
