Politics cannot substitute for skills. A nation of 200 million cannot survive on patronage alone.
Across Nigeria today, countless young men and women – graduates and non-graduates alike – are enrolled in leadership training programmes. Yet, too often, these programmes are designed not to build competence but to sell the dream of political access – becoming aides to governors, advisers to senators, consultants to ministries, or special assistants to the president.
The consequence is sobering. Rather than equipping youth for productive careers and meaningful nation-building, many leave such programmes with a singular expectation — that their ultimate path to relevance and survival lies in politics. Leadership, in their imagination, becomes synonymous with patronage, not service.
This trajectory is fundamentally flawed. Leadership cannot be mass-produced in conference halls through motivational speeches or by dangling the prospect of political appointments. True leadership grows out of lived experience: Managing responsibilities, solving real problems, navigating industries, running businesses, learning trades, serving communities, and shouldering the demands of honest work.
Without these grounding opportunities, we risk raising a generation that sees politics not as service, but as the only gateway to influence, wealth, and social standing. What emerges, therefore, are not leaders but survivalists — young men and women ready to align with the highest bidder to secure a seat at the table.
Nigeria must urgently rethink this path. Instead of over-politicising our youth, we must re-engineer leadership training to emphasise vocational, technical, and entrepreneurial skills alongside civic values. The nation needs competent engineers, artisans, healthcare professionals, IT specialists, farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who can build industries, create jobs, and drive inclusive growth. When leadership formation is combined with these practical foundations, the result will be young Nigerians capable of contributing meaningfully to society — whether in private enterprise, public service, or politics.
The dangers of continuing the current approach are already evident. By encouraging young people to see politics as the ultimate prize, society fuels a culture where criminality, thuggery, and dependence on political godfathers become accepted pathways to opportunity. This vicious cycle reproduces corruption and bad governance, entrenching the belief that power — not productivity — is the route to prosperity. Politics thus becomes a desperate scramble for wealth and position rather than a solemn opportunity to serve.
Nigeria cannot afford such a future. With over 200 million citizens, and more than 60 per cent under the age of 30, the country’s survival and progress hinge on redirecting its youth towards value creation before power acquisition. Politics, in its noblest form, should be a platform for service — not an escape route from unemployment. If young leaders first cultivate skills, build careers, and earn reputations for competence and integrity, they will one day enter politics not as dependents, but as independent actors with credibility, confidence, and a genuine desire to serve.
The responsibility lies not only with governments but also with civil society, religious institutions, educators, and the private sector. For every seminar on governance, there should be an apprenticeship in agriculture, construction, digital technology, or healthcare. For every lecture on public speaking, there should be a workshop on financial literacy, critical thinking, or entrepreneurship. Only then can Nigeria raise a generation of young leaders who stand on their own feet, thrive outside politics, and, when the time comes, enter it with integrity.
The time has come to stop grooming political jobseekers and start nurturing productive citizens. Leadership without competence is empty. Politics without service is dangerous. Nigeria’s future depends on breaking this cycle — and building a youth culture where skills, service, and integrity are the true foundations of leadership.
By : Emmanuel Okoroafor from the United Kingdom.
