Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and the Founder of the Citadel School of Government (CSG), Pastor Tunde Bakare, have called for the grooming of a new generation of leaders equipped with values, competencies, and a deep sense of responsibility for nation-building.
The duo made the call on Saturday at the official inauguration of the Citadel School of Government and the onboarding of the pioneer class of its Advanced Diploma in Public Leadership and Statecraft, organised in collaboration with the University of Lagos Business School (ULBS). The event was held at the Citadel Multipurpose Hall, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.
Ezekwesili, who delivered the keynote lecture, lamented what she termed the “democratisation of corruption” in Nigeria, stressing that the institutionalisation of corruption has crippled national development.
“We have no business to fail; failure is not our destiny. However, all existing institutions in our country are struggling. Corruption is corrosive. For years, people carried on as though they did not see what was happening until it festered and became systemic, democratised. Now everybody says, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’ Join who?
“We must stop normalising corruption. No matter how competent you are, if you lack character, you will go nowhere. Building Nigeria requires people who are restless about nation-building, people willing to take a stand when others choose compromise,” she said.
On his part, Pastor Bakare explained that the CSG was conceived to bridge the leadership deficit in Nigeria’s public governance space, particularly by nurturing young leaders with the values and tools to advance good governance.
“Our mission is to raise nation builders like you leaders grounded in values and equipped with the competencies to champion a new philosophy of governance across diverse spheres of public leadership,” he said.
Bakare further emphasised that the partnership with the University of Lagos would ensure participants benefit from both academic rigor and practical exposure to governance. He described the programme as a model of collaboration between academia and governance think tanks.
“With this programme, I am confident that Nigeria is about to experience a new wave of transformative leadership. A new breed without greed, a radical opposition to corruption, and a cohort of changemakers is about to be equipped for maximum impact,” Bakare added.
The nine-month diploma programme, launched in June through a Memorandum of Agreement signed between UNILAG and CSG, will blend classroom instruction with mentoring, policy simulation, and field engagement.
Bakare urged the pioneer participants to embrace the challenge ahead, describing their admission as “a call of destiny.”
“You have just accepted the call of destiny by joining this pioneer cohort. The road will not be easy, but the opportunities for service and leadership will present themselves both during and after this training,” he said.
The programme is expected to produce leaders who can think globally, act locally, and address Nigeria’s governance challenges with integrity and innovation.
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