DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP ABILITIES IN YOUTHS; BEING A PAPER DELIVERED BY CMR. FRIDAY BAKO AT THE OCCASION OF THE 2017 GRADUATION, SPEECH AND PRIZE-GIVING DAY AND DEDICATION OF MAGAZINE TITLED “VOICE OF HOPE” OF ZANG COMMERCIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL BUKURU AT DALO DA D.B ZANG MULTI-PURPOSE HALL JOS SOUTH LGA, PLATEAU STATE ON 29TH JULY, 2017.

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It is about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers’-Robin S. Sharma

INTRODUCTION: Permit me the time to recognize the Chairman of this great occasion Da Dr Jonah Madugu-Dan Masanin Jos, Father of the Day Nde Joshua M. Waklek mni the Chairman Governing Council of University of Ibadan, Magazine Dedicator Hon. Sanusi B. Abuhuraira, Special Guest of Honour Da Hon. Rufus Bature the Secretary to State Government, other dignitaries and members of the high table, Proprietor of this reputable citadel of learning who doubled as the Chief Host of today’s occasion in person of Senator Davou D. B. Zang, Chairman Governing Board Mrs. Esther Yop PamBot, management and staff of this great institution under the pragmatic leadership of Mr. Gochin Bulus the Host of this great event, great parents in here, traditional rulers, religious leaders, government functionaries, PTA of this School, politicians, Alumni of this School, graduating students who are seated and fully decorated in their graduation gowns, students of Zang Commercial, other invited guests, distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

Before I commence my presentation, I will like us to stand and observe a minute silence in honor of the Architect of this revered institution who was a mentor to many including me the paper presenter, an entrepreneur, a business mogul, an astute politician, an unmatched philanthropist, a bridge builder and an ardent advocate of justice in person of our father, grandfather and great grandfather Dalo Da D. B. Zang of blessed memory.

I am humbled and highly honored, standing right here to speak on the topic “developing leadership abilities in youth”. I count this a rare privilege and great honor and wish to thank the Proprietor, Chairman Governing Board and management of this school for this opportunity. This topic is timely and aimed at exposing the graduating/other students and youth on how effective their abilities can be developed to enable them attain their full potentials at appreciable levels either personally, through their parents, school, workplace, religious organizations and the wider world. I may not be too friendly in my presentation because I am not here to massage your ego or interests but to provoke and challenge you morally, intellectually, spiritually, socially and physically as a youth just like you.
Let me quickly congratulate the graduating students, wish them well in their future endeavors, praying God to guide and direct their steps and future plans because He is the Author and finisher of our faith.

In precarious time like this, when the leadership deficiencies in Nigeria and most African Countries are obvious and hope seems to be nearly if not gone, it is expedient for parents, schools, religious organizations, civil society organizations, government at all levels and critical stakeholders to deliberately and consciously develop the leadership abilities of our future leaders in order to avert leadership crisis and vacuum as well as address the deficiencies effectively.
Attention should be shifted to the future leaders as the impact of trainings given to children at homes, schools, workplaces, religious houses and the society are capable of building and developing their abilities so that they can become better, greater, responsible and credible leaders in the future.

LEADER:
Before we delve into the topic of today and have better understanding of same, it is imperative to comprehend what a leader entails.
A leader is a person who impact, encourage, assist, influence and inspire others for the purpose of attaining goal(s).

TYPES OF LEADERS/LEADERSHIP STYLES:
There are about 12 different types of leaders/leadership styles namely; autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, strategic leadership style, transformational leadership, Team Leadership, cross-cultural leadership, facilitative leadership, laissez-faire leadership, transactional leadership, coaching leadership, charismatic leadership and visionary leadership but for the sake of this topic, we will be focusing on four (4) of the above mentioned.

i. AUTOCRATIC LEADER/LEADERSHIP: This leadership style is centered on the boss. In this leadership the leader holds all authority and responsibility. Here, leaders make decisions on their own without consulting subordinates. They reach decisions, communicate subordinates and expect prompt implementation irrespective of the impacts of the decisions (whether good or bad) to the subordinates or organizations.
In this kind of leadership, guidelines, procedures and policies are all natural additions of an autocratic leader.

ii. DEMOCRATIC LEADER/LEADERSHIP: In this leadership style, subordinates are involved and properly carry along in making decisions. Unlike autocratic, this headship is centered on subordinates’ contributions. The democratic leader holds final responsibility, but he or she is known to delegate authority to other people, who determine work projects.
The most unique feature of this leadership is that communication is active upward and downward. With respect to statistics, democratic leadership is one of the most preferred leadership, and it entails the following: fairness, competence, creativity, courage, intelligence and honesty.

iii. LAISSER FAIRE LEADER/LEADERSHIP: Laissez-faire leadership gives authority to employees. Here departments or subordinates are allowed to work as they choose with minimal or no interference. According to research, this kind of leadership has been found to be the least satisfying and least effective management style.

iv. COACHING LEADERSHIP: This leadership style involves teaching and supervising followers. A coaching leader is highly operational in setting where results/performance requires improvement. Basically, in this kind of leadership, followers are assisted to improve their skills. Coaching leadership does the following: motivates, inspires and encourages followers.

QUALITIES (ATTRIBUTES) OF A GOOD LEADER
A good leader is expected to have the attributes of focus, confidence, transparency, integrity, inspiration, passion, innovation, patience, humility, open-mindedness, decisiveness, positivity, generosity, persistence, insightfulness, communication, accountability, empathy and sense of good judgment.

ABILITIES: Abilities are unique natural talents that people are born with enabling one to do things well. Ability is an acquired or natural capacity or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully.
FACTS ABOUT OUR ABILITIES
It is imperative to know what our abilities are in order to know how to apply same and below are some vital facts about our abilities;
a. Everybody have them.
b. You were born with them.
c. They are God-given.
d. Most of them are untapped (unused) most or all through the lifetime of the owner.
e. You are the only one who can use your abilities.
f. God gave us abilities to use them effectively for His glory.
g. You cannot bequeath your abilities.

LEADERSHIP ABILITIES: These are acquired or natural capacities or talents which a leader or prospective leader has that enables him/her perform tasks credibly well.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF ABILITIES
a. ACTIVE ABILITIES: These are talents which an individual has and using them effectively to achieve purpose.
b. INACTIVE ABILITIES: Talents embedded in a people that were put to use in time past but presently not being used for some time now.
c. DORMANT ABILITIES: Talents in an individual which are undiscovered and not in use. These talents are mostly untapped for a longer period of time or all through the lifetime of the person that possesses them.

MISAPPLICATION OF ABILITIES: These situations occur when people put the talents in them to the wrong ventures. For example, a person with special abilities to be a Medical Doctor ended up being a Journalist.

YOUTH:All over the world, youths are regarded as the future leaders of the society. This is not a misplaced or wistful thinking as this class of energetic citizens posses enormous and multi-dimensional talents, powers and creative abilities which if adequately molded and harnessed in a fit and proper atmosphere, can translate to generational wellbeing in the social, political and economic life of the society.
In Nigeria, the youths, particularly in the Pre-independence era and shortly thereafter, played formidable roles leading to monumental gains in politics economy, technology, commerce and industry just to mention a few which shaped Nigeria.
WHO IS THEN A YOUTH? Youth in Nigeria includes all members of the Federal Republic of Nigeria aged 18-35.
CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP ABILITIES IN YOUTHS
There are many challenges militating against certain deliberate and conscious efforts aimed at developing the leadership abilities in youths and these include:

1. LACK OF PURPOSE: For one to be able to effectively use his/her abilities, it is imperative for that individual to discover his/her purpose in life. All Human beings are uniquely designed, created and made to accomplish purpose. Individual must be able to discover and know his/her S.H.A.P.E (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences).

2. CORRUPTION: The ravaging corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society has greatly affected efforts aimed at developing leadership abilities in youth. This is because the financial resources deployed to ventures capable of bringing positive impacts in the youth are diverted to private accounts by individuals who walk our streets freely, occupy elective/appointive positions and use the youth for violence and thuggery.

3. PESSIMISTIC MINDSET TOWARDS LEADERSHIP AMONG THE YOUTH: Due to the visible leadership failures and crisis in Nigeria and other African Countries, some youth have lost hope in future leadership. Youth today think the future is already blink hence no need dissipating their energies and intellectual abilities towards developing their leadership capacities.
Nevertheless, a handful of youth have taken the leadership failures as challenges or weaknesses which need their immense contributions to be properly addressed.

4. THE “GET RICH QUICK” SYNDROME: This mindset has greatly affected efforts in place towards developing the leadership competencies of the youth as most of them focus on making money by whatever means not minding the repercussions.

5. LACK OF SOUND, PRACTICAL AND RELIABLE GOVERNMENT POLICIES TOWARDS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Youth development is a process that prepares a young person to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood and achieve his or her full potentials. This (Youth development) can be promoted through activities and experiences that help youth develop social, ethical, emotional, physical, spiritual and cognitive competencies.
There is absence of visible and sound policies by past and successive governments toward youth development. The three tiers of government (Federal, State and Local Government) and three organs of government (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) must come up with sound legislations aimed at the youths (the not-too-young-to-run Bill is an excellent Bill) in order to develop their leadership abilities.

6. FAILURES IN PARENTAL RESPOSIBILITIES: Many parents today have failed in their parental obligations which have bred youth who are now menace to the society and unable to discover their abilities and put them to proper use.

7. POOR MENTORSHIP: The mentorship needed to develop the capacities of the youth is depleting by the day. Elders have shown little or no interest in the mentorship of the future leaders and have failed in correcting them when they are derailing.

8. POLITICAL, ETHNIC, TRIBAL AND RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS: Since we are people of different cultures, traditions ethnic, tribal, religious and political divides, some people find it hard to assist in developing the leadership abilities of youth who don’t belong to their climes. These sentiments have adversely affected the development of leadership abilities in youth.

9. MORAL DECADENCE: The moral decadence in our society has proved that the families, schools, religious organizations, government, traditional leaders and society have failed in the domesticating good moral values and standards in the youth which are at the mercies of the world to mould and nurture them its own way. Close attention to the discussions and lifestyles of our present youth keep you with the question; are our parents, schools, religious organizations, government, traditional leaders and elites in the society doing enough to the upbringing of our youth?

HOW THEN DO WE CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP ABILITIES IN YOUTH?

WHAT THE YOUTH SHOULD DO
– Discover your abilities and purpose and work towards actualizing them.
– Build character and integrity
– Set standards for yourself and don’t compromise them.
– Have positive mindset by being optimistic towards life and other people.
– Keep developing yourself continually.
– Avoid unhealthy competition and rivalry.
– Make friends with people who will encourage, inspire and assist you pursue your dream.
– Build a business and entrepreneurial spirit.
– Never compare yourself to anybody, you are unique.
– Have self-confidence, self-control, self-esteem and know your worth. Emulate Joseph in the Bible.
– Be disciplined, humble, respectful and obedient to parents, elders, school and other constituted authority.
– Don’t be discouraged, be yourself, don’t pretend to be who you are not, dream big and follow your dream.
– Commit yourself to your abilities, have passion, drive and enthusiasm towards being relevant in your field of discipline and society.
– Pursue excellence.
– Be teachable.
– Believe in yourself and abilities.
– Discard procrastination.
– Have good moral standing.
– There is need for regular and periodic self-assessment and examination.
– Live responsible and decent life. Listen to music, read books and engage in conversations that will edify, motivate, influence and encourage you to be a great leader and personality.
– Serve God honorably, credibly, sacrificially, acceptably, fearfully and wholeheartedly because He is the source of your destiny and abilities. Always put God at the center of all your plans and decisions.
WHAT PARENTS AND TEACHERS SHOULD DO
Children are gift from God; they are reward from Him-Psalms 127:3
“You are not a successful person if you don’t have successful successor(s)”
– Pray for your children
– Encourage and support them as well as their dreams.
– Never compare them with others as all of them are uniquely made.
– Train and mentor them morally, emotionally, vocationally, financially to be good future leaders.
– Believe in them.
– Never try to influence the School grades of your children as that will make them morally bankrupt and corrupt in the future.
– Inspire and provide for their godly needs.
– Treat them fairly
– Don’t use foul and abusive languages on them.
– Don’t be wanting in your parental responsibilities. Remind yourself of your parental responsibilities. Don’t be like Eli in the Bible who failed in raising godly children.
– Live exemplary life and practice what you preach to your children.
– Bless them, make good prophesies and declarations into their lives.
Once the abilities of the youth are fully developed; achieving destinies, attaining greatness and fulfilling full potentials are inevitable.
In conclusion, sound, deliberate, conscious and reliable strategies, doctrines, measures, policies and programmes MUST be put in place by parents, schools, religious organizations, government, traditional leaders, NGOs and other well spirited individuals in the society towards developing leadership capacities, abilities, capabilities and competencies of our future leaders who are ready, capable and willing to contribute their quota to national integration, unity, progress, prosperity, growth and development.
The political class also has significant roles to play in the participation and involvement of youths in politics and governance process and not only in the electoral processes.
Youth MUST be empowered, mentored and their capacities built so that they can achieve their full potentials at appreciable levels in order for them to be good future leaders, be useful to themselves and the society at large.

Thanks for the time and remain blessed

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Developing Leadership Abilities in Youths: Paper Presentation by Com. Friday Bako