Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has made a case for the inclusion of leadership training and mentorship into the school curriculum at every cadre of education in the country.
Teaching of leadership and associated values, according to the Governor, would help inculcate the right leadership values and qualities in the younger generation, thereby addressing the leadership question more effectively.
Governor Oyebanji stated this in Lagos on Tuesday, in his remarks at the 11th Annual Public lecture of the Foursquare Gospel Church, titled: “Leadership in Nigeria and Its Impact on The Next Generation”.
Oyebanji, who chaired the occasion, said Nigeria ought to be futuristic enough to have embedded curriculum that teaches leadership skills and principles, both as practical skills and indoctrinated value in the young population. According to him, if we have identified bad leadership as the bane of the society, it is important to ensure a well structure leadership training for the younger generation.
He spoke just as the Guest Speaker at the lecture and founder The Chair Centre, Mrs Ibukun Awosika and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babjide Sanwo-Olu, also canvassed a deliberate effort at equipping future leaders with necessary values.
According to Oyebanji. “Leadership must be part of the basic everyday skills that every citizen should possess. Leadership training must be as important as basic education for literacy and numeracy. As a nation, we should have embedded curriculum that teaches leadership skills and principles, both as practical skills and indoctrinated values. For me, I believe if you want to change a people, teach them what you want them to change to.
“There is no doubt that a major problem with leadership recruitment in Nigeria is that, people, sometimes, just find themselves in leadership positions without the right aptitude and attitude. For long, Nigerians continue to gamble with leadership selection through try by error system.
“There are those who become leaders by default or by circumstances of privileged pedigree and not because of personal merits. Yet, the best of leaders are those who have been trained, tested and exposed to the nitty-gritty of leadership in addition to their innate ability.
“Leadership is such a serious thing that being certified should be one of the requirements to hold certain strategic positions in the society. Evidence abounds that technical skill on jobs are not enough for people to lead competently; there is the need for real and special training in the art and science of leadership for people to succeed today.
“I therefore subscribe to the argument that people should, of necessity, go through intentional leadership training before they can lead at some certain levels in the society. We all need to be well exposed to the call of leadership and how to manage a mass audience of people with differing characteristics, needs and tendencies.” He said.
Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji said the foregoing propelled his government to introduce Ekiti Values Education (EVE) into the curriculum as a way of identifying those with high propensity to lead in future at their tender age, adding that the domestication of this concept as part of educational development, was to make Ekiti a model in leadership among the next generations of Nigerians.
“In Ekiti, we are already doing this. As a State that is serious about preparing the next generation of leaders from today, we have evolved a ’catch-them-young’ curriculum that prepares our future leaders for leadership position right from the primary school.
“As a result, we currently run a compulsory subject called Ekiti Values Education (EVE) with a considerable module that focuses on leadership development. The subject aims to teach young Ekiti children comprehensive aspects of leadership, responsibility of a leader and practical leadership exposure.
“For me, I believe if you want to change a people, teach them what you want them to change to. There is no doubt that a major problem with leadership recruitment in Nigeria is that, people, sometimes, just find themselves in leadership positions without the right aptitude and attitude.”he said .
In her paper, Mrs Awosika, said Nigeria must nurture a generation of king and empathetic leaders, who will understand that they are not necessarily the best among the citizens, but that they have been saddled with the responsibility to lead.
She also made a case for parents to lead in the leadership training, stressing that children will naturally grow up and imbibe the values around them.
“Raising the next generation requires our examples. We should show the younger ones what to do. We should teach our children what it means to be good citizens”, she said , adding that through proper upbringing and learning from the examples of the parents the young ones can imbibe good leadership traits.
Also speaking, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, said it was important to nurture spiritual and political leadership in the younger ones.
The Lagos Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Governor, Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin said the future of Nigeria rest on “our ability to nurture the next generation on the path of responsible leadership based on empathy.
A major highlight of the event was an award presentation by the General Overseer Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev (Dr) Sam Aboyeji to Governor Oyebanji, Governor Sanwo- Olu and Mrs Awosika. While the church representative also presented an appreciation award to the General Overseer.
Present at the lecture were political leaders, including Dr Bode Olajumoke; state commissioners, religious leaders and students leaders drawn from from secondary and tertiary institutions in the country.
