Forty two years after the late literary giant, Professor Chinua Achebe asserted that the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely the failure of leadership; Future Africa , a continental non – governmental organization has concurred to the assertion .
The late literary legend , had in his 1983 book ” The Trouble with Nigeria ” , made the assertion which had over the years, served as a reference point in national discourse .
Alluding to the assertion in Abuja on Thursday in his key note address at the heart of the Nigeria@65 Conference organised by the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), the Chief Executive Officer of Future Africa , Iyinoluwa Aboyeji , said Nigeria ‘s greatest challenge remains the failure of leadership, not that of leaders .
According to him ,Leaders and Leadership sound remarkably alike but they are not the same. In Nigeria and in Africa, we often mistake the two. We think our problem is leaders rather than leadership.
He explained that leadership is not a title or privilege, but a shared cultural awareness that empowers people to influence and bring others together for a common goal.
“Leadership is a cultural awareness that each of us, whether or not we are in a position of authority, have the ability to influence and bring people together in service of a common goal.
“It is mastery of this ability that makes you a good leader, not whatever fancy title you bear or position you occupy. That is why great societies spend a lifetime identifying and cultivating leadership in their young people”, he said .
Aboyeji lamented that Nigeria’s obsession with a “messianic leader” has led many citizens to outsource their own responsibility to politicians.
“Because we confuse leadership with leaders, we believe all Nigeria needs is one authentic, altruistic and competent leader who will magically become President and change everything. But this messianic leader we pine for is a dangerous fantasy.
“By making leadership one man’s job, we deny ourselves the agency required to demonstrate leadership across different levels of society”, he said .
As a way out , he called on the youths , to face the challenge of building leadership capacity through service, innovation and resilience.
“We must teach our youth to be resolute, responsible, resourceful, resilient and relentless. Our generation can either roll up its sleeves and build, or consign itself to the dustbin of history”, he warned .
Similarly, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, said the enduring truth of Achebe’s thesis still holds true today.
He urged the younger generation to see public service as a noble calling and not merely a career path.
“Reform must make public service a noble vocation again. We must rethink incentives and workplace culture to align with a generation that values innovation, flexibility and purpose”, he said .
Earlier in her remarks , the convener of the gathering and Director-General of the CLTC, Rinsola Abiola, posited that Youths must earn leadership through service and not entitlement .
