Leadership has been identified as a major problem holding Nigeria down in its economic and political growth as a sovereign nation, hence the push for a change in the country’s leadership structure.
A group of young Nigerians under the aegis of Second Chance Care Foundation, a non-governmental organization, says the change that is needed to solve that problem should be transformational, meaning that those who should lead should undergo change that is not only fundamental, but also total.
According to them, transformational change involves developing a sense of responsibility ever before aspiring to lead; it involves self-discovery and also undergoing change process that would ultimately yield a refined character with leadership qualities.
“It is a fact that leadership has been our collective albatross as a nation and it will not be out of place to prepare our youths for the future challenges of leadership in Nigeria,” Mark Idiahi, Founder/Executive Director of Second Chance Care Foundation, noted at a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday.
It is an unstated consensus among Nigerians that the older generation that has been dominating leadership space in the country since independence, 61 years ago, has failed the country, yet they don’t seem ready to leave the stage any time soon. That, in itself, is a big problem.
But the bigger problem is that the youth, the younger generation, are either not adequately prepared or not fit to take over the mantle of leadership even if the older folks are willing today to hand over.
“The youth are not ready for leadership yet,” Idiahi affirmed, explaining however that poverty is too prevalent in the country and it is being used as a tool against the youth. According to him, the youth will always compromise if they are pushed to the wall.
He agreed further that the youth are also their own problems who need to be saved from themselves before they could be trusted with leadership positions. Though there’s so much negative influence from the society, many young Nigerians are emotionally immature and are driven by the quest to get-rich-quick or what is called in street language ‘hammer mentality’—wanting to make it big from the onset.
Recent events in Nigeria suggest that there is no hope, but Idiahi reasons differently. “We believe that there is hope; all we need is that leadership that can transform Nigeria,” he emphasized.
The press briefing the Foundation addressed was part of preparations for its up-coming Future Leadership Conference—an annual gathering of young professionals from various disciplines across Nigeria where solutions are proffered to identified problems.
The conference also aims to promote spirit of leadership and entrepreneurial consciousness amongst young Nigerians. “It supports individual initiatives and empowers those who are committed to personal transformation for the purpose of facilitating societal transformation at all levels of society,” Idiahi said.
The conference, already in its sixth edition, holds in strategic partnership with Chartered Institute of Strategic Managers and Leaders (CISML). “We are working assiduously towards ensuring that we use this opportunity to change the narratives of leadership in Nigeria,” Idiahi assured.
He hopes that the conference with the theme, ‘Transformational leadership: An Antidote to Nigeria’s Leadership Quagmire’ would throw up an appropriate leadership model because the suffering in Nigeria today is as a result of failed leadership in the country.
