A former House of Representatives member, Sam Onuigbo, has blamed the erosion of societal values for undermining Nigerian youths’ preparedness for leadership.
Onuigbo said deliberate mentoring, parental guidance and ethical reorientation were necessary to prepare young people to become responsible leaders.
He spoke on the theme, “Mentorship: Nigeria Happened to Me,” on the Nigerian Television Authority’s programme, Good Morning Nigeria, on Friday.
“There are efforts to prepare the youth to become true, genuine leaders of tomorrow, but the disruption in values has affected their readiness and preparations to truly become leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
The former lawmaker attributed the challenge partly to the breakdown of family values, saying some parents could no longer effectively guide their children in distinguishing right from wrong, leaving them vulnerable to peer pressure.
He stressed that sound moral values were essential to personal growth and responsible leadership, irrespective of the pressure individuals faced.
“For me as a person, value is key. It makes you grow in whatever you are doing. No matter the level of pressure put upon you, once you are brought up with the right value, you are not likely to deviate from that value,” Onuigbo said.
He recalled that his parents, who were peasant farmers, taught him and his siblings to respect other people’s property. He cited the honesty displayed by traders in his community who left their groundnuts for customers to select and pay for without supervision.
According to him, the traders often returned to find their money intact, a practice he said reflected honesty, transparency, hard work and good neighbourliness.
Onuigbo said such values, when instilled early, could help produce responsible citizens and ethical leaders.
He also highlighted the role of mentorship in his professional development, recalling how two professionals, the late Dr Burian Carew and Dr Mrs Nadu Denloye, guided him and other talented Nigerians.
He said the pair established an indigenous telecommunications engineering consultancy company and helped nurture professionals who later contributed to the development of Nigeria’s private sector.
The former lawmaker urged experienced professionals and leaders to take responsibility for mentoring younger people, adding that the process should extend beyond helping them secure positions to equipping them with the integrity and competence needed to discharge their responsibilities.
Onuigbo cited the Not Too Young To Run Act, passed during his time in the House of Representatives, as an effort to expand youth participation in politics.
However, he said opportunities for young people to contest elections must be accompanied by adequate preparation, noting that while some had performed well, others had abused such opportunities through corruption or incompetence.
Also speaking on the programme, former Kano State Governor and former Minister of Education, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, emphasised the importance of mentoring and instilling moral and spiritual values in young people.
Shekarau recalled that his administration took hundreds of youths to boarding schools for mentorship during holidays before exposing them to skills acquisition centres.
He said the initiative included guidance on choosing skills and lessons on moral values to prepare the youths for responsible professional lives.