Mentorship key to restoring Nigeria’s lost glory, says Bakare

…Blames coups, weak institutions for leadership gap

By Henry Obetta

Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare, has said Nigeria can regain its lost glory only through a deliberate effort to rebuild mentorship structures and strengthen intergenerational leadership development.

Bakare spoke on Saturday at a mentorship and nation-building programme tagged Passing the Torch, convened by Idorenyen Enang, Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Shepherds Limited.

The event also marked Enang’s 60th birthday and the launch of his book, 60 Navigational Truths.

Delivering the keynote address, Bakare lamented what he described as the gradual erosion of institutional continuity in Nigeria, blaming decades of neglect, military interventions and the failure to sustain the visions of the country’s founding leaders.

According to him, many of the systems and values established by Nigeria’s early nationalists and statesmen were not sufficiently institutionalised to endure across generations.

“Nigeria has progressively lost many of the structures that once enabled effective transgenerational capacity building. Institutional continuity required for sustained national development has weakened,” he said.

He cited the educational vision of Ahmadu Bello, the Pan-African ideals of Nnamdi Azikiwe and the governance philosophy of Obafemi Awolowo as examples of legacies that were not adequately sustained through enduring institutions.

Bakare also blamed successive military coups for weakening the nation’s institutional framework.

“Military interruptions further damaged continuity. Successive coups dismantled structures in the name of reform, while often destroying institutional memory. Inexperienced military administrators weakened the civil service architecture that ordinarily preserves continuity across governments,” he said.

The cleric further expressed concern over what he described as the collapse of traditional mentorship channels, noting that many young Nigerians now lack guidance despite having access to information and technology.

“We face a youth bulge without corresponding mentorship structures. Educational institutions are overstretched. Many faith-based institutions have become preoccupied with survival and spectacle rather than character formation and leadership development.

“Families increasingly spend less time transmitting values. Politics has become excessively consumed with the next election rather than the next generation,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria has produced more politicians than statesmen, resulting in a generation that is technologically connected and intellectually aware but often lacks direction.

Bakare urged leaders in all sectors to focus on raising successors, building people and transferring wisdom.

“Mentorship is about lighting the torch of another generation until they themselves become carriers of light. It is about guiding those who come after us to ensure that they avoid the mistakes we made,” he said.

He stressed that Nigeria’s future would not be secured by policies, budgets or elections alone, but by responsible mentors intentionally raising responsible leaders.

Also speaking during a panel session, management consultant and sustainability expert, Ini-Abasi Laura Abimbola, said mentorship should empower younger generations to surpass their predecessors.

“For me to mentor you, there must be a trajectory of change. If you are at point A, there must be a level you want to attain. Why don’t we give them the matches and let the young ones light the fire?” she said.

Communications expert and corporate strategist, Julia Oku Jacks, emphasised the importance of values-driven leadership, noting that mentorship is fundamentally about granting access and opportunities.

On his part, writer and filmmaker, Femi Odugbemi, described mentorship as a critical tool for nation-building, stressing that it goes beyond creating opportunities to providing access and guidance for future leaders.

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