The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has delivered a sobering message to Nigerian leaders: the country’s future will not be secured by its oil or mineral wealth, but by a radical transformation of the national mindset.

Speaking at the National Leadership Conference 2025 in Abuja on Friday, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Elsie Attafuah urged political, business and civic leaders to abandon “business as usual” and embrace bold, forward-looking leadership that inspires trust, innovation and resilience.

“If the mind is trapped, the nation is trapped. If the mind is free, the nation soars,” Attafuah declared, stressing that every breakthrough in human history has started with transformed thinking rather than natural endowments.

She warned that Nigeria is entering a world defined by volatile economies, intensifying climate shocks, contested influence over strategic minerals, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and biotechnology.

With the population set to double to over 400 million by 2050, she said the country faces a stark choice between a demographic dividend and a social time bomb.

Attafuah drew parallels with Singapore, South Korea, Rwanda and Botswana, which she said rose to prosperity by changing national psyche and values rather than depending on resources. She pointed to Nigeria’s fintech innovators—behind companies like Flutterwave and Paystack—as proof of what young people can achieve when freed from limiting structures.

Outlining a five-point agenda for transformation, she called for: Reimagined governance built on strong institutions and long-term vision; Harnessing youth power through education and entrepreneurship; Energy transition anchored on renewables and gas as a bridge fuel; Digital leadership that makes Nigeria a producer, not just a consumer, of technology; and

Smarter financing and partnerships, including diaspora capital and AfCFTA opportunities.

Recalling her crisis leadership in Uganda during COVID-19 and Ebola, Attafuah said Nigeria’s turning point will come only when leaders find “fire in the belly” to inspire results even in times of uncertainty.

She closed with a rallying vision: “Imagine Aba, Lagos, Kano, Onitsha and Ogun as ultramodern industrial clusters.

Imagine universities as innovation engines. Imagine a creative economy that rivals the world’s biggest. That Nigeria is possible. But it begins with us—all of us—here and now.”