Leaders owe It to youths to be transparent – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged political and societal leaders to provide “truthful, transparent, transformational, and selfless leadership” to the youth.
Obasanjo made the call in Abeokuta on Saturday during the grand reunion and maiden lecture series of the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), United Kingdom Alumni Association, Nigerian chapter.
Represented by Professor Samuel Daramola, Deputy Director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, the former president delivered a lecture titled “The Challenges of Youth in a Fractured World.”
He described youth as a period marked by “vitality, idealism, hope, expectation, dreams, and a touch of adventure and naivety,” noting that the world has become more complex for today’s generation.
“Some of us were youth immediately after the Second World War; I was. Most of you were youth at the height of the Cold War,” he said. “The world was not perfect, but there was some order, respect for international law, rules and regulations… Today, the youth face herculean challenges which they must not be left to handle alone.”
Obasanjo urged leaders to invest in the future rather than deplete resources meant for coming generations, adding that youths should be involved in every aspect of governance.
“Youths are not leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders today,” he said. “Let them be part and parcel of leadership today in preparation for tomorrow.”
Maj.-Gen. Oluwaseun Oshinowo (Rtd), President of the RCDS Alumni Association, said the group was formed eight years ago to contribute to national development through strategic dialogue.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Maitama, represented by Mrs Abosede Awolola, said the RCDS had played a key role in global leadership formation, while Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by his Special Adviser on Security, Olusola Subair, warned that the breakdown of family values posed a serious threat to national development.
