The waning tradition of elderly mentoring

From youth unemployment which culminated in the violence and brigandage that made a joke of our commonality recently-the Boko Haram conundrum, which preceded the insurgency in the Niger Delta, the reign of kidnappers in the East, etc- to dysfunctional and derelict infrastructure base that has driven away a much needed investments, Nigeria appears to be […]

From youth unemployment which culminated in the violence and brigandage that made a joke of our commonality recently-the Boko Haram conundrum, which preceded the insurgency in the Niger Delta, the reign of kidnappers in the East, etc- to dysfunctional and derelict infrastructure base that has driven away a much needed investments, Nigeria appears to be engaged in a steady and daily dance to the brink. With our current national challenges, it would only take the goodwill and sacrifice of all well-meaning compatriots to salvage whatever is left of our national heritage.
Enter the pathetic state of the youths who are the very trustees of our national posterity. The quality of life of the average Nigerian youth has been everything but encouraging, saying the least. Not only has the values of hard work, industry, innovation, etc, gradually declined to an all-time low, there has also been little or no conscious effort on the parts of individuals, governmental and nongovernmental bodies, the civil society and organized interests to reverse this negative trend which portends more calamity than being presently experienced. For societies to grow and consolidate on the giant leaps of their progenitors, the need arises for the older generation to consciously inculcate in the youths the ideals that stood the test of times. We see how the founders of the United States (whom we like to imitate in all our dispositions) like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, et al, strove hard to bequeath a nation where the utmost priority of a fledging nation is the prospects of the tomorrow of the American people- their youths and unborn children. These American leaders not only made the prospects of the future better for their people, they also made inspiring effort in nurturing posterity towards sustainability. These leaders groomed successors that could build on their legacies and leave a more profound impact.
Agreeably, of the many scourges that ravage the Nigerian state, from the aforementioned to all other national woes, failure in leadership is at the centre of all such. These failures stem from the near absent leadership mentoring evident in all our nationals endeavours.  Looking back at the period proceeding independence, the crop of leaders who graced national limelight that time had a pool of followers who could step into positions of power when the need arose. While the northern part of Nigeria paraded inspiring leaders like the late Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa the late Aminu Kano, et al, ardent followers like the late Sunday Awoniyi, Abubakar Rimi ,Sule Lamido, etc, took over the demands of leadership after their principals had quit the stage. Leaders like Dr Nnandi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and their contemporaries from the South provided a veritable platform for the continuity of their visions through replicates like Onabisi Onabanjo, Otedola and others who took up the leadership challenge after the demise of their mentors.
Unfortunately, instead of a leadership recruitment system where youths are positively influenced to embrace the challenges of leadership as observed in societies that aspire to greatness, what is obtainable is a system that exploits youthful exuberance to the detriment of our posterity. The story of an average Nigerian youth today is that of an individual who could be used by ambitious politicians to win elections and the discarded like an unwanted element.
When recently a debate ensued between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida, arguably the two most cerebral leaders to have come out of Nigeria, on the responsiveness or otherwise of the youthful generation in leadership, what came to one’s mind was the opportunities these duo had in recruiting a ready pool of leaders that could lead us to the new Nigeria of our collective dreams.
The robust population of the youthful generation provides Nigeria with a viable option to rediscovering the ideals of effective leadership. What remains is the conscious and concerted effort in bringing out the best from this pool of human resource.  
As Nigeria grapples with the woes of leadership failure and its attendant consequences, the need arises to secure the future through rallying all critical stakeholders in the Nigeria project to give due attention to mentoring the generation that is thrust with the nation’s tomorrow.

Abonu wrote from Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja