The call for responsible, visionary, and patriotic leadership took centre stage on Thursday, September 25, 2025, as the Abuja Leadership Center, in collaboration with the TETFUND Center of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership, University of Abuja, convened a one-day Youth Leaders’ Clinic at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba.
Themed “Empowering the Next Generation Leaders”, the clinic drew senior prefects and student leaders from Delta, Edo, and Bayelsa States, with a strong focus on civic responsibility, accountability, and ethical leadership.
Declaring open the programme on behalf of the Delta State Government, the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, praised the organisers for what she described as a “timely and laudable initiative”.
“At a time when our nation is in dire need of leaders who are responsible, visionary, and patriotic, this clinic is crucial in shaping the mindset and character of our young people,” Ezewu stated.
She urged the student leaders to embrace service as the foundation of leadership, stressing that the values acquired must be taken back to their schools and communities for wider impact.
Reaffirming the state government’s commitment, Ezewu assured that the Ministry of Secondary Education would continue to support programmes that promote leadership development, civic engagement, and ethical consciousness among students across Delta.
In his presentation, the Director of the Abuja Leadership Center, Professor Philip Dahida, highlighted the center’s growing reputation as a hub for leadership training and policy research, producing graduates who have become political leaders, bureaucrats, and senior military officers.
He stressed that the center’s work goes beyond academics, tackling Nigeria’s governance bottlenecks with practical solutions.
Also speaking, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo, maintained that Nigeria’s underdevelopment is fundamentally a leadership problem.
He emphasised the importance of catching young people early and instilling leadership values that will make them patriotic citizens capable of driving national progress.
The Coordinator of the Abuja Leadership Center for Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa States, Mrs. Winifred Elikwu, explained that the programme was designed to help young leaders connect citizenship with participation and leadership.
According to her, “Citizenship gives you the values, participation gives you the practice, while leadership is the result. True leadership is citizenship in action.”
The clinic combined lectures, group deliberations, and feedback exercises.
Participating schools were also tasked to showcase lessons learned by their student leaders through morning assembly presentations and recorded submissions to the center.
Described by participants as highly impactful, the event closed with a renewed charge to young leaders to uphold service, integrity, and civic responsibility as the building blocks for a better Nigeria.
