By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin
A retired Nigerian Army general, Brigadier General G. Alabi Isama (rtd), has urged Nigerian youths to rise beyond raw potential and embrace integrity-driven leadership, warning that corruption and moral compromise pose greater threats to the nation than lack of resources.
Isama gave the charge while delivering a lecture titled “From Potential to Power: Nurturing Youths for Transformative Leadership.” at the Leadership Summit organised by the Postgraduate Students’ Association of the University of Ilorin on Wednesday.
Isama said Nigeria’s youthful population remains its greatest asset, but stressed that talent without values would only deepen the country’s problems.
“Every youth is born with potential, but not every potential becomes power. Power is the capacity to influence positive change, and that journey requires vision, discipline and integrity,” he said.
According to him, Nigerian youths have continued to excel in academics, technology, entrepreneurship, sports and the creative industry, yet many have been derailed due to poor guidance and bad role models.
“When youths are not properly guided, their energy can be misused for fraud, violence, drug abuse and political thuggery. Potential without direction becomes wasted talent,” Isama warned.
The retired Army’ general blamed Nigeria’s leadership crisis largely on corruption, noting that years of abuse of public resources and weak accountability structures have resulted in insecurity, unemployment, poor infrastructure and declining public trust.
“A corrupt system did not build Nigeria; it only damaged it. Corruption has never built a great nation. It only retards progress and multiplies the suffering of the people,” he said.
Isama particularly cautioned youths against seeing corrupt leaders as models of success, describing such a mindset as dangerous to the country’s future.
“If the next generation copies the same corrupt practices, Nigeria’s future will be worse than its present. Transformative leadership demands integrity over wealth, service over selfishness and justice over power,” he added.
The Octogenarian stressed that leadership is not about occupying positions but about making positive impact, urging young Nigerians to be bold enough to challenge injustice and reject wrongdoing even when it is popular.
“Youths are not leaders of tomorrow; they are leaders now, waiting for opportunities to showcase their potential,” he said.
He identified integrity, education, critical thinking, courage, discipline and service to humanity as key values needed to nurture youths into transformative leaders, adding that universities remain critical breeding grounds for Nigeria’s future leaders.
“The habits you form on campus today – honesty, discipline and hard work – will define the nation tomorrow. If corruption is rejected at the campus level, it will be harder for it to survive at the national level,” he noted.
Beyond moral values, Isama also proposed structural reforms across key sectors. In politics, he called for the abolition of godfatherism, feudalism and severance benefits for political office holders, while advocating true federalism, independent candidacy and stronger checks and balances.
“There must be unity, accountability and clear separation of powers. Democracy should not be reduced to personal interests and godfather control,” he said.
On education, he advocated free education up to university level and the scrapping of practices he described as nepotistic, while calling for reforms in admission processes.
Addressing security challenges, the former military officer proposed the creation of state, local government and school police to strengthen grassroots security and reduce centralised control.
He also urged reforms in the oil and economic sectors, calling for resource control, secure land tenure and allocation of oil blocks to states rather than individuals.
“Nigeria must outgrow an oil system designed mainly for export and foreign interests. Each state should be empowered to manage its own economy,” Isama said.
He concluded by charging youths to see leadership as a conscious choice rather than a privilege of age or position.
“Nigeria’s future will not change by chance; it will change by choice. Do not inherit the failures of a corrupt system. Challenge it with integrity, vision and service,” he said.
“As students, you are not too young to lead and not too small to make a difference. When your potential is guided by values, it becomes power – the power to transform Nigeria and leave a legacy of hope for generations to come.”
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