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By Fidelis Chimokwu

There is an old maxim that you cannot be a good leader if you are not first a good follower. In Nigeria today, that saying is more than a moral proverb; it is a mirror in which the country’s leadership future is reflected. Three ideas sit at the centre of this matter: leadership, youth and orientation. Each must be examined closely if we are serious about building a virile and effective National Youth Development programme.

Leadership is a broad spectrum. At one end is what scholars call primal leadership, which rests on physical power, the urge to control others, the ability to inspire fear, or a group’s need for a strong protector. At the other end is leadership grounded in superior mental energy and motivational force. That second kind is what Nigeria needs. It is built on stewardship, motivation, inspiration, humility, service, organisation, dynamism, caring, innovation and trust.

The word “leadership” comes from “lead.” Whoever leads the way must know the path. A leader is therefore a role model: a person of positive character, focus and organising ability, who can drive a vision as both arrowhead and pathfinder. A true leader knows the past, lives in the present and understands where the future points.

In that light, I see positive aspirants to political leadership as part of a slow but steady search for the true path to Nigeria’s growth. Their desire to represent the people at every level of governance in the Federal Republic is encouraging. But leadership is not only for those in office. As individuals, we all have a part to play in the development of our people and our dear country.

Youth is commonly defined as the time of life before a child becomes an adult, or the quality of being young. The most useful definition, to my mind, is simply “young people considered as a group.” Youths can be organised or unorganised. Youth organisations should be the engine that drives the growth and development of the young, supervised by government through the appropriate ministries, departments and agencies. The voluntary ones in particular should be the prism through which national orientation and monitoring of our youths is carried out.

Orientation is the training or information given to a person as a set of principles guiding behaviour and approach to life, as defined by the society or organisation in which they live. National principles are best instilled through nationally designed programmes that reach young people early, so they can be absorbed as a foundation for personal and national growth.

These principles can be communicated effectively through the National Orientation Agency; the Federal Information Centre; national radio and television networks; daily news and press services; visits to schools and youth development centres for pep talks; extra-curricular activities; and social media platforms. All of these should work in conjunction with the relevant ministries, departments and agencies. A vibrant nation thrives on vibrant youth policies, where good citizenship and leadership training are pursued continuously to build a true national consciousness.

I am convinced that the irritants in our national fabric would become a thing of the past once a new National Consciousness policy is properly in place. These include youth restiveness, separatist agitations, banditry, Boko Haram, cultism, armed robbery and drug abuse. The task before Nigeria is not merely to manage young people, but to form them, inspire them and give them a credible national vision worth defending. That is how a generation of followers becomes a generation of leaders.

© Fidelis Chimokwu
Communications & Policy Analyst