A Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Prof Remi Aiyede has opined that equipping future leaders is one of the way out of Nigeria multifaceted problems as many accidental leaders has succeeded in creating a lot of accidents for the country through their inefficiency and lack of leadership skills.
Speaking as the guest lecturer at the Future Leaders In Politics Summit – Agboworin FLIP 1.0, Prof Aiyede noted that, public decision making and policy making are the key areas of politics and governance, and if then handled by inexperience or inefficient set of people, the mess created will bounce on all, and why there must be proper involvement and engagement of young minds in the country’s political process.
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While speaking on the theme of the summit that was organized by the lawmaker representing Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East Federal Constituency at the Green Chamber, Honourable Abass Adigun popularly known as Agboworin, “Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow’s Leaders In Politics”, Aiyede said, “Leadership is the ability to think carefully and weigh many options. But if a careless leaders are in charge, problems tend to happen, and all of us start bearing the brunt of it.”
While addressing the youths and other stakeholders in attendance at the summit, Professor Aiyede said, “As a good leader, you must be able to equip yourself with both reading and writing skills. The two are important and key to a successful leader. There are ideas and policies that can only be expressed in the art of writing while some through the reading of literatures and books compiled by experts in public governance and administration.”
Aiyede while appreciating the Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East Federal Constituency lawmaker for his thoughtful idea of taking young minds through the kind of intellectual knowledge they are privileged to in the summit, he added that, Old people in politics and governance will retire one day, if the present set of young people are not well equipped to succeed them, the country is bound to be repeating the same error and negative results.
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He said, “I think Hon. Abass Adigun Agboworin is one of those politicians and political leaders who are future driven, and preparing the youths for the journey ahead of them in leadership positions. He probably does not want today’s unsolved problem to resurface again tomorrow for grouping young minds together to understand leadership skills needed in contemporary society.”
Aiyede noted that, one of the key areas of leadership failure is the inability of leaders to recognize the values being input or contributed by their followers. Hence leading to loss of followers to other political actors, or make them interested in political process, participation and involvement.
While addressing journalists at the summit, Hon Abass Adigun noted that the event is a template for preparing the youths for the task ahead of them in nation building through political engagement and participation.
The lawmaker representing Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East Federal Constituency maintained that the event was designed to prepare the teeming numbers of youth for the task ahead of them, and understanding the process involved in scaling up in politics.
“This summit is organized to equip young Nigerians on the reality of practical politics as against the known theory of it in our society.”
According to the lawmaker, politics is dynamic, and the youth of Nigeria must play with its dynamism as it is their time to get involved with their digital skills and knowledge to help move the nation forward.
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“Politics in this part of the world involves a lot of things. The political challenges we are facing in our country are not strange, and similar are being faced in most of the advanced countries. But their own institutional settings are being used to correct the abnormality there.”
Responding to why he came up with the program and its theme, Agboworin explained that it has been part of his life resolution to continue touching lives. And not only giving out empowerment items, but the ability to equip people with necessary skills is why he decided to organize the program.
In their separate remarks Oyo state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon Wasilat Adegoke, Engr Dotun Sanusi, Hon Dare Adeleke urged youth to make good use of their youthful days. They charged them to brace up for the leadership roles ahead, and also advised them to start acquiring all the necessary skills needed to be a visionary leader in the future.