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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has the country must make deliberate efforts to prepare young people for leadership.
Abbas stated this at the launch of the Leadership for Equity, Advocacy and Development (LEAD) Fellowship organised by the Gender Mobile Initiative at the National Assembly, on Tuesday, in Abuja. He noted that the youths must be equipped with the knowledge, ethical values, institutional exposure and leadership skills required to transform ambition into meaningful public service.
The initiative is an 18-month leadership programme aimed at grooming 1,000 student leaders across 10 tertiary institutions, in the country for ethical leadership and public service.
The Speaker, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Kafilat Ogbara, stated that said leadership goes beyond occupying political office.
According to him, “It is high time we prepared young people for power. As the trustees of our tomorrow, they must understand how government works and how to use political office to change society for the better. Without this preparation, they risk squandering the opportunity to effect real, lasting good.
“The youths are no longer merely the leaders of tomorrow; their time has come. As voters, innovators, entrepreneurs and community leaders, they deserve the power to influence the decisions that shape their lives today.’
Abbas explained that the fellowship would help build a new generation of leaders equipped with requisite skills, adding that the deliberate inclusion of women, persons with disabilities and other historically marginalised groups was essential for strengthening democracy.
He said: ” The inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and historically marginalized groups is not an act of benevolence. It is a matter of basic justice, democratic legitimacy and institutional effectiveness. A democracy that excludes large sections of society cannot be said to be representative.”
The Executive Lead of Gender Mobile Initiative, Omowumi Ogunrotimi, while speaking at the event, explained that the initiative was aimed at addressing the growing disconnect between student leadership and opportunities for meaningful participation in governance after graduation.
According to her, “We are intentionally incubating 1,000 student leaders across 10 pilot institutions. Our ambition is to cultivate women and men whose exercise of leadership will be defined by ethics, constitutionalism, evidence, inclusion and an unwavering commitment to service because democratic stewardship does not emerge by accident.”
