Lessons from Gbajabiamila’s leadership training for the youth

By Musa Abdullahi Krishi   The foundation of every nation is the education of its youth. – Diogenes The youth, as it is often said, are the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, any society that forsakes its youth is certainly taking the path of destruction, as its future can only be imagined. The consequences of not […]

By Musa Abdullahi Krishi

 

The foundation of every nation is the education of its youth. – Diogenes

The youth, as it is often said, are the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, any society that forsakes its youth is certainly taking the path of destruction, as its future can only be imagined. The consequences of not giving the youth the right training as part of the education process are dire.

So, when the youth are properly trained and educated, apart from individual growth and development, the entire society stands to benefit more than anybody else.

In a society where a sizable number of our youth engage in activities that could only make them have a bleak future, the need for the right training becomes imperative. Right before our eyes, some of the Nigerian youth have taken to drugs, while others have engaged in internet fraud, what is now popularly called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’,  just to make quick money.

Despite that, the good news is that we still have many of our youth who have been useful to the Nigerian society, because they are properly educated and trained. For this category, they have put their lives to good use.

As part of efforts to prepare the Nigerian youth for the challenges ahead and make them have a better future, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila recently organized the leadership boot camp for some select youth from Surulere, Lagos State.

The participants, comprising both males and females, were divided into two groups. While the first group had its training at the Sea School, Apapa, Lagos, the second group was taken to the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Mountain School, Shere Hills, Jos, Plateau State.

As expected, the participants went through two weeks of rigorous training and lectures to make them better individuals and leaders of tomorrow. 

Kick-starting the training on November 14, 2021, in Lagos, Gbajabiamila told the young participants: “Surulere, as you all know in Lagos State, is the numero uno, the number one.”

He said during the programme, “We will have instructions on economic leadership, social leadership and political leadership.

“Of all those things, I think the most important is political leadership because your politics and what you lay politically on the ground will determine what happens economically, socially and in every other aspect of your life.

At the Shere Hills camp of the participants, it was a good sight to behold. Taken away from their homes, the participants concentrated on what took them to Jos, and they didn’t disappoint.

Apart from the early morning drills that they took part in, the participants were also taken through mentorship and leadership sessions on legislation and art of governance; time management as an effective tool in achieving success among Nigerian youths; leadership skills for effective service delivery among Nigerian youths.

Other areas that they were trained on included leadership and responsibility among Nigerian youth; communication as an effective tool of national development; the importance of entrepreneurship among Nigerian youth; conflicts prevention and resolution strategies among Nigerian youth, and the role of youth in promoting democratic values. 

As leaders of tomorrow, they were equally trained on human rights as requisite knowledge for Nigerian youth; the use of leisure and stress management among Nigerian youth; fire fighting prevention and control, among others.

The same thing took place in Lagos, except for topics such as marine drills and life-saving in water. The participants in Jos also took part in mountain climbing, a drill those in Lagos could not engage in. 

Perhaps, one session that will remain in the minds of the Jos participants for a long time was the lecture on time management conducted by Mr Michael Ayedisan, one of the good hands at the centre. It was really an engaging session that was equally interactive.

The lessons learnt at that session were that there is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the important things; the same amount of time you use for unimportant things is the same amount of time you use for important things, and the key to success is tied to habit, and time management is one of those habits. From the reactions that day, the message resonated well with the participants.

It was delightful to hear that some members of the House were already considering organizing similar leadership training for their constituents, taking a cue from the Speaker. Not just lawmakers, other well-meaning Nigerians can also borrow a leaf from such training and organize same for the youth around them so that we can have a better society today and tomorrow.

The Gbajabiamila BootCamp leadership training for the youth came to an end on November 28. Though the Speaker could not join the Jos participants physically, he did via zoom, where he commended them for their resilience and good character. He promised to continue paying attention to the development of the Nigerian youth in whatever way possible.

Gbajabiamila noted that the youth leadership training was his own way of giving back to society to have a better tomorrow. 

He said: “For me, youth empowerment is the real empowerment because it prepares you for the future. I’m happy that you all went through the programme.

“From the package of the programme, I know you went through a lot of coaching, and you’ll come out as better persons.”

It is, therefore, hoped that the lessons learnt from the Gbajabiamila BootCamp Leadership Training would have a positive impact on the lives of the participants and the Nigerian society.

 Krishi is the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, House of Representatives.