Nigerian leaders need to pass through leadership training before assuming office ― Cleric

TRACKING____A cleric, Pastor Gabriel Adegboye has advocated that a centre be instituted where political leaders must pass through before assuming leadership positions.

According to Adegboye, such a centre will enable leaders to be trained and have a fine-tuned blueprint for their administration.

For too long, he decried that several leaders come into government with bogus ideas that are of no benefit to the populace they govern.

Pointing to the mandatory nature of trainings in several professions, he stressed the need for politicians to, in like manner, receive political training for the offices they aspire for.

It will be recalled that the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS) was instituted between 1989-94 with late Professor Omo Omoruyi as Director-General.

Adegboye said: “During the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, there was an institution, the Centre for Democracy led by Professor Omo Omoruyi where political leaders were trained. We need such a centre in our new political dispensation. If you studied law in any university, you would not be called to bar until you have been enrolled, after graduating from any of the Nigerian Law Schools.

“How could anybody become the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of our country without certain rudimentary training? There should be blueprints for leadership in our political world. When you come to power, you should know what to do to rule well. It is not the matter of a governor bringing some bogus ideas, that will be of no benefit to the populace, on behalf of whom we govern.”

For the 2023 elections, Adegboye charged more youths to throw their hats in the ring and stop being tools for violence, ballot box snatching, thuggery.

What is imperative, according to the cleric, is determination, unity, oneness and a purpose-driven movement of youths.

He noted that unity of purpose displayed by youths for the #EndSARS movement should be replicated to bring about a total transformation in the running of the nation’s affairs.

“Youths are the light of the world. Therefore, the time has come for all youths to rise up and be counted. Being the light of this nation, we must begin to shine and, in order to shine, we must carry out lamps. This is the time to throw our hats into the ring.

“We must get ready to participate fully in the politics of the nation. No more doing for somebody else. No more being used by anybody. No more fighting for anybody. No more serving the interest of anybody. No more collecting money to vote for anybody. “No more selling our ideologies to anyone. The time has come to display our gifts and talents. The time has come to shift all our attention from #EndSARS crusade to something more special. We can do it. One voice is all we need as we spoke earlier during #EndSARS revolution.

“What we need is publicity and creating awareness from now on. What we need is determination. All we need is purpose and pursuit. And above all, we need a purpose-driven movement.

“Politicians are not professionals. No politician is more knowledgeable than the other. Their weapon is money. And we should put an end to money politics in our nation.

“Therefore, youths must start creating wealth rather than collecting money from the over-bloated politicians. All youths must start operating as a family and we shall become members of a large family of youths in Nigeria,” Adegboye said.