Tunde Bakare, a politician and pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), says the solution to Nigeria’s problem is leaders who understand that public office is a sacred trust, not a personal enterprise.

He added that his greatest desire is to witness a Nigeria that works for every Nigerian.

Mr Bakare stated this at the graduation ceremony of the CSG pioneer students at the institution’s premises in Oregun, Lagos.

The students graduated with an advanced diploma in public leadership and statecraft for a nine-month course that began on September 6, 2025.

Mr Bakare, also the founder and chairman of the Citadel School of Government (CSG), said he remained confident that a Nigeria that works would emerge in his lifetime.

He said, “We are approaching another significant electoral cycle in Nigeria. Across this country, new leaders will emerge at different levels of government.

“Existing leaders will confront increasingly complex demands.

“The challenges are immense—insecurity, economic instability, decaying infrastructure, institutional weakness, and a crisis of trust between the governed and those who govern.

“I am convinced that the solution to these challenges is not more of the same.  The solution is leaders who understand that public office is a sacred trust, not personal enterprise.

“Leaders who prioritise common good over private gain and have the competence to translate vision into policy, and courage to translate policy into results.”

To the graduating students, Mr Bakare said they represented the new breed of leaders who would break the cycle of incompetence and corruption.

The serving overseer said they were leaving with something far more valuable than a document.

The cleric said they were leaving with a framework for thinking about governance that transcended political parties, ethnic loyalties and sectional interests, adding that they had been equipped to see the big picture.

According to him, the quality of a nation is inseparable from the quality of the people who exercise leadership within its institutions.

“You are leaving with a charge to serve—not to dominate, not to accumulate, not to exploit. You have been trained to lead with integrity, to govern with competence, and to serve with humility.

“These are not empty words. They are the foundation upon which this institution was built.

“Nigeria is waiting for you. You are the ones who will bring fresh ideas, ethical standards and a commitment to excellence into the corridors of power.

“You are the ones who will demonstrate that governance can be different—that it can be responsive, responsible and transformative,” he said.

Mr Bakare pointed out that all leaders need to understand that leadership was a calling and not a career.

He explained that true leadership was about answering the call to serve something larger than yourself—their community, nation and generation.

Mr Bakare urged them not to forget that the people they lead were not stepping stones to their success, adding that they were the very reason for their service, hence the need for integrity.

Also speaking, the executive director of CSG, Omoaholo Omoakhalen, said the institution produced 69 pioneer Graduands.

Mr Omoakhalen urged them to justify the confidence reposes in them by helping to build a Nigeria that works.

In a goodwill message, the executive director of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Sunday Adebisi, said that the future of Nigeria depends on the quality of leaders entrusted to handle the affairs of the nation.

Mr Adebisi said there is a need to bridge the governance challenges in Nigeria and the capacity of its leadership.

He said that to advance national development, there is a need for leaders who know how to mobilise resources and make them work.

In his Keynote address, the Vice Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof. Olalekan Asikhia, reiterated the call for a new breed of leaders.

The vice chancellor said that there is a need to redefine leadership in Nigeria as a responsibility and not a title.

The professor, who spoke on ‘Institutional Excellence and Fragile Institutions’, called for true leadership with an ability to steer the people in the right direction and build strong institutions.

“The gap between theory and practice must be filled. We need builders who would focus on building systems that will outlive them,” he said.

Other guests, including Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, also delivered goodwill messages.

(NAN)