‘We’re preparing youths to become better leaders’

The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Olusegun Dawodu, has said the possibility of translating the massive infrastructural development in the state to human development cannot be a reality without preparing the youths to become better leaders.

Dawodu said this while declaring open a two-day transformational leadership workshop with the theme: “Engaging the Young for Nation Building” in Lagos.

The commissioner said: “This workshop will focus on building the capacity of young leaders and inspiring them to become better leaders and to align the policy thrust of the state government with that of their own and group plans in order to move Lagos forward.”

Maintaining that transformational leaders create valuable and positive change in followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders, Dawodu said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has engaged a good number of young people to be part of policy formulation and implementation, some of whom hold key positions in government.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olugbenga Ayoola Aina, explained that the workshop was designed to build the capacities of youths as leaders of tomorrow to enable them play a part in nation development with their vibrancy, energy, education, resourcefulness and engagement for prosperity of the society.

He noted that young people represent the potential that must be groomed and harnessed for the overall development of the state and the country.

He disclosed that the transformational leadership training would be held across the three senatorial districts for 750 young leaders.

Similarly, Executive Chairman, Victoria Island LCDA, Hon Princess Rashidat Adu, urged youths to justify the huge resources invested in them by the state government in terms of capacity building by practicalising what they gained at the workshop to become better leaders.

The facilitators exposed the participants to topics on leadership role models, building a strong foundation for sustainable leadership, the effective Leader: Shared Vision, transformational leader, types, levels and myths of leadership, leadership team building and bonding and leadership today: understanding emotional intelligence, ethics and etiquette.