An education advocate and founder of Muyiwa Bamgbose Academy (MBA), Dr. Muyiwa Bamgbose, has called for the early grooming of leadership qualities among Nigerian youths as a sustainable way of addressing the country’s leadership crisis.

Bamgbose, who is also the founder of the Educational Advancement Centre, Ibadan, made the call on Friday at the grand finale of the 10th anniversary of MBA and its 11th edition, held at Government College Ibadan, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The five-day programme, organised in conjunction with Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ibadan, was designed as an intensive leadership training and mentorship academy for secondary school prefects across Oyo State.

Bamgbose said Nigeria needed to begin developing responsible leaders from a young age rather than waiting until individuals assumed positions of authority before attempting to instil leadership values in them.

He said early leadership development would help young people develop the character and problem-solving skills required to lead responsibly later in life.

“I think we make a mistake when we want to begin to mould leaders at a certain age.

“If we can imbibe leadership qualities and characteristics in people at a tender age, they will grow up to become responsible leaders,” he said.

According to him, developing leadership qualities early was not only more effective but also cheaper than trying to reform people after they had acquired responsibilities and influence in society.

Bamgbose said young people should be taught to become problem-solvers before assuming major responsibilities, noting that such qualities could become part of their character as they progressed through life.

He urged governments at all levels to support and replicate leadership development programmes across the country.

“I wish that more people would imbibe this kind of programme. I’m sure I’m not the most endowed person to run this kind of programme. So the government is there. They can take this issue, go to every nook and corner.

“Starting from your state, it can go to the whole federation. The fact is that we need leaders. We need leaders,” he said.

The education advocate stressed the need to groom young people before they become exposed to negative influences that could encourage them to compromise standards, bend rules or abuse positions of authority.

“The best way to get your leaders is to catch them young before they are polluted. Once they get into the society proper, people will show them all kinds of ways to cut corners, to bend rules. And they will become the rulers that we don’t need,” he said.

Bamgbose said the leadership academy was established to provide a practical platform for identifying young people with leadership potential and equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to serve effectively.

He said secondary school prefects were deliberately selected because their appointment indicated that they had already demonstrated leadership qualities that could be further developed through structured training.

“Anyone who becomes a prefect in a school must have demonstrated some wonderful qualities. The teachers would have seen some traits in that person,” he said.

He explained that the training focused on helping the students understand that leadership involved taking ownership of problems and developing practical solutions rather than blaming others.

“The first thing is that they own the problem. Stop blaming people,” he said, urging the students to identify what they could do to address challenges around them before waiting for others to act.

Bamgbose said the students were also taught how to identify problems affecting their schools and communities and develop solutions based on the actual needs of the people.

He added that other areas covered during the programme included leadership branding, influencing others, teamwork, environmental responsibility, personal hygiene and entrepreneurial skills.

He said the entrepreneurial component was important because many students in public schools came from low-income homes and could benefit from acquiring practical skills that could help them support themselves and their families.

On the future of the programme, Bamgbose said the initiative should move beyond the annual five-day training to continuous leadership development within schools and communities.

He welcomed efforts by the junior team to extend the programme to Government College Ibadan and Queen’s School, saying sustained engagement in schools would enable the initiative to reach more young people.

According to him, taking the programme to schools across Oyo State would create a wider platform for building a culture of responsible leadership.

He appealed to individuals and organisations with the capacity to support the initiative to partner with the academy or replicate its model in their communities.

Earlier, the President of JCI Ibadan, Oluwaseun Aiyedogbon, said the participants had been exposed to the true meaning of leadership during the five-day programme.

He reminded the prefects that their positions were not merely ceremonial but carried responsibilities to serve their fellow students with integrity, empathy and purpose.

“Your title is not just a privilege, it is a call to service, integrity, and empathy,” he said.

Aiyedogbon urged the students to lead by example, listen to those they served and ensure that their tenure left a positive impact on their schools.

He told the graduating scholars that the completion of the training marked the beginning of their responsibility as young leaders.

“Your training ends today, but your leadership starts now. Go out, inspire your peers, and make us proud,” he said.