Shettima calls for new leadership development framework

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, called for a new leadership development framework that is deliberate and forward-looking for youth leadership development.

Shettima whp made that call Monday, in Abuja, at the Abuja Dialogue 2026, convened by the Office of the Vice President and Lagos State’s Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, said the “country’s demographic profile must no longer be treated as a rhetorical point in public discourse, but as a strategic reality requiring policy attention at the highest levels of governance.

This is just as many participants at the Dialogue, also called on government at all the levels to pay serious attention to early childhood education to support the acquisition of sound technical knowledge necessary for self reliance.

They decry the high number of out of school children in Nigeria, especially in the northern parts of the country which has acted as a major setback and created leadership deficit

They noted that Nigeria’s future depends not merely on the abundance of its natural resources or the ambition of government programmes, but on the systems built to sustain leadership continuity and national development.

Shettima stressed that youths remain the backbone of sustainable progress and warned that the country’s status as one of the world’s youngest nations would count for nothing without deliberate institutional investment to match its demographic scale.

“We are one of the youngest nations on earth. That fact should not be treated as a line for conferences or a statistic for brochures. It is a national condition with profound consequences,” he said.
He described the Abuja Dialogue as an important national platform for reflection at a time when governments around the world are being forced to respond more precisely to rapid changes in technology, economics and public expectations.

According to him, leadership in the present age cannot be casual or accidental, but must be cultivated through structured pathways that prepare young people for responsibility.

“Youth leadership must be understood with clarity. It is not a ceremonial handover waiting for age to perform its arithmetic. It is a structured process through which young men and women are prepared, trusted, integrated, and supported within the institutions that shape our future,” he said.

The Vice President noted that this new framework must go beyond slogans and applause to reshape the design of education, public service, enterprise and civic institutions

He also emphasised the need for gradual pathways through which young Nigerians can assume responsibility, arguing that leadership matures through practice and accountability.

“Leadership grows when young people are given room to learn, to contribute, to make decisions, and to be held accountable for results. Responsibility is the workshop where capacity is refined,” he said.

The Vice President charged the youths to face the challenge and participate meaningfully in shaping the future of the country, by taking advantage of the ongoing initiatives

“Leadership is not defined by age. It is defined by readiness to bear consequences, to choose the long view over easy applause, and to place the common good above private comfort,” he said.

He commended the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy and Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for convening the Dialogue, describing it as a significant contribution to the national conversation on leadership renewal and long-term development.

He also urged the youths to approach the future with discipline, preparation and a clear sense of national purpose. “The country we aspire to will not be handed to us complete. It will be built by men and women who understand that excellence is a duty, not an ornament,” he added.

Speaking earlier, Governor Babajide Sawo-olu of Lagos, applauded Vice President’s willingness to host the Dialogue, noting that it sends a powerful signal to every state government, every development partner, and every young Nigerian that the Federal Government recognizes the strategic importance of youth leadership development.

He explained that at the heart of the Lagos leadership ecosystem is the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA)—a cornerstone institution named after one of Lagos’s most transformative leaders.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the Academy is not merely a fellowship but a talent incubator where young Nigerians receive real public sector immersion, cross-sector learning, policy exposure, mentorship from seasoned leaders, and the opportunity to execute capstone projects that address real societal challenges.

He added that the LJLA sits within a broader ecosystem that includes the IBILE Youth Academy, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, youth-focused skills and job creation programmes, digital literacy and innovation initiatives, and robust support for entrepreneurship and MSMEs.

To tap into youth potential, the governor called for commitment, policy frameworks, budgetary allocations, and the kind of political will that turns good intentions for young people into functioning institutions.

He therefore, called on other states in the country to initiate such deliberate youths leadership development programme so that no part of the country is left behind

Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, in his welcome message, described the timing of the dialogue as apt, noting that Nigerian youths are prepared, ready and committed to playing their roles in the advancement and development of the country.

He stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu, through the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, remained committed to providing the necessary platforms and enabling environment for the youths to fulfil their destinies and take up leadership positions at all levels of government and in different sectors of the economy.

Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade, Executive Secretary of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, praised the partnership between the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government in placing the youth at the centre of national conversation about their interests and well-being.

The Executive Secretary noted that the Abuja Dialogue underscores the need to scale the conversation about youth leadership development as a strategic pillar of governance, economic growth, and institutional resilience.

She added that the Abuja Dialogue is an opportunity to build national consensus, align institutions and move youth leadership from the margins of policy to the centre of development, transforming policy pronouncements to actionable programmes and projects.