As part of efforts to bridge the leadership gap in the country, iLead Nigeria has organised leadership training for students in Lagos State, equipping them with values that will make them stand out from the pack and impact their environment positively.
The iLead programme, which is an initiative of the Maxwell Leadership Foundation, seeks to empower students to lead themselves and others in a way that can lead to powerful positive change.
Speaking at the iLead Students Leadership Conference held in Ikeja recently, the Director, iLead Nigeria, Gbenga Samuel, said the organisation has a vision to equip one million Nigerian secondary school students with leadership values within the next three years.
He noted that globally there is a leadership gap, stating that people expect to see great leaders but there is no intentionality in teaching people how to become leaders.
“We teach students how to understand Mathematics and English but we don’t intentionally teach them what they need to know to become great leaders. That’s the gap we say is a gap of values and we want students to embrace the right values.
“We have a vision to impact one million Nigerian secondary school students across the country within the next three years. iLead is an initiative set up by the Maxwell Leadership Foundation. We are focused on helping students embrace the right values like attitude, commitment, making the right choices, self-discipline, forgiveness and more. We believe that if they have the right foundation laid on good values they will become better leaders tomorrow.
“The students are being given a unique opportunity to start their journey of leadership on the right foundation. And I want to encourage students and schools to embrace this opportunity, embrace the iLead programme and live out these values,” he said.
Samuel stated that over 20 schools were represented in the programme, adding that 10 schools participated in the pilot programme the organisation conducted in the last one year.
“The iLead pilot in Nigeria would not have been possible without the immense support and help of the teacher coordinators in the various participating schools. They have all worked hard to make the pilot a success. We sincerely appreciate all the volunteers at Teenz Impact who have also worked tirelessly to make this possible. As it is often said, volunteers do not necessarily have more time, they simply have the heart to serve,” he added.
He disclosed that the organisation plans to expand the programme to other states in the country, adding that it was prepared to onboard 30,000 students in Lagos State on the programme by the next academic session, which will start in September.
“I believe that the values the students are being exposed to are helping to mold their character and position them to lead themselves and become outstanding leaders that will contribute greatly to the development of our country,” he noted.
In his remarks, the Vice President, Global Programme, Maxwell Leadership Foundation, John Griffin, who shared his personal experiences with the participants, encouraged them to be focused and determined to make a positive impact in the world starting from their immediate environment.
Kayagba Biola, an SSI student of Bolade Senior Grammar School, Lagos, said she learnt a lot from the programme. “I learnt how to forgive others. Before today, I found it very difficult to forgive whoever that offends me, especially if the person doesn’t apologise. But I will now forgive even without an apology as that will make me a better person,” she said.
