The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila says Nigeria needs leaders that will groom the young ones to take over leadership responsibilities from them as they leave the office or move to other spheres of life.
Gbajabiamila was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the first 74 trainees of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) held at the National Assembly, and noted that the absence of such a transition in leadership remained a setback for the country’s growth.
“That is why we introduced the LMI, a robust program to equip our young ones for the leadership tasks ahead, for governance, and the good of our country.
“The timing of the training was significant, coming at a period the world is facing increasing challenges that would require people of great skills and knowledge to address, especially from among the youth,” he said.
He stressed the need to urgently correct the anomaly so that the country could have a pool of young leaders to draw from at any given time.
Also, the Director of LMI, Mr. Dapo Oyewole said the aim was to equip young Nigerians with responsive leadership skills, knowledge, and expertise to enhance public service delivery and foster national cohesion.
Mr. Henry Nwawuba, Chairman House committee on Legislative agenda, explained that 4,000 youths applied, out of which 74 from the 36 states and the FCT emerged and made it to graduation.
He said the program is the first of its kind in the House of Representatives and efforts will be made to institutionalize it.
Also, the Director-General of, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, noted that a new phase had begun for the trainees as ambassadors of the legislature which is contributing to sustaining democracy.
Mr. Bella Victor from Rivers State, one of the graduates, said he was elated over the knowledge gained, saying that the program exposed him to things to know about the legislature and governance before.
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