By Idris Khalid The chairman of Wunti Al-khair Foundation, Dr. Bala Maijama Wunti, has urged Nigerian youths to embrace integr...
By Idris Khalid
The chairman of Wunti Al-khair Foundation, Dr. Bala Maijama Wunti, has urged Nigerian youths to embrace integrity, good character, competence, confidence and continuous learning as essential qualities for effective leadership, personal development and national transformation.
He also challenged young people to prioritise community service, collective interest and responsible citizenship over personal ambition and personal gains.
Wunti gave the advice on Friday during an engagement with youths titled 'Lead Where You Stand', with the theme focusing on character, citizenship and the common good, held at an Event Centre in Bauchi.
He said leadership was not merely about acquiring political power or occupying positions of authority but about demonstrating good character, serving others and contributing meaningfully to society.
According to him, individuals may acquire power without character, but sustaining leadership requires integrity, accountability and a commitment to the common good.
"You can win power without character, but you cannot sustain leadership without it," he said.
He added that power without character breeds division, while power exercised without consideration for the common good could lead to destruction.
"Before you lead a nation, learn to serve it. Leadership begins with good citizenship," he said, urging the youths to understand that the world needed principled leaders rather than individuals who merely sought public attention.
Wuntib who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the World Energy Council Nigeria, identified character, confidence and community as three fundamental pillars young people must develop to achieve sustainable success.
On character, Wunti emphasised the importance of integrity, honesty and consistency, urging the youths to ensure that their private conduct reflected the values they publicly professed.
"You must have integrity and remain truthful. You must stand for the truth and live by it, even when doing so is uncomfortable," he advised.
He warned that compromising personal values might produce temporary gains but would ultimately undermine an individual's credibility and long-term success.
On confidence, he urged young people to believe in their abilities, develop the courage to pursue opportunities, take bold decisions and overcome personal limitations.
A former Chief Upstream Investment Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), also stressed the importance of competence, saying success should not be measured solely by academic qualifications, professional titles or material possessions, but by an individual's values, problem-solving abilities and contributions to society.
Wunti challenged the youths to step outside their comfort zones, avoid complacency and translate their ambitions into practical actions, noting that excessive thinking without corresponding efforts would not produce meaningful results.
He further encouraged them to embrace continuous learning, explaining that access to knowledge was no longer restricted to conventional classrooms, as technology had made educational resources more readily available.
According to him, knowledge, acquired skills and the ability to apply them effectively remain among the most valuable assets individuals can possess.
Dr. Wunti further urged the participants to see failures, painful experiences and disappointments as opportunities for learning and personal growth rather than permanent setbacks.
He said difficult experiences could help individuals discover their strengths, build resilience and develop a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
Wunti cautioned against measuring happiness and fulfillment solely through wealth, expensive cars, academic qualifications and professional achievements, noting that genuine satisfaction could also come from helping others succeed and contributing to their well-being.
He identified values, talents and time as important resources available to every individual, urging young people to recognise their abilities, use their time productively and remain guided by sound moral principles.
He also called on them to practise gratitude, humility and contentment, explaining that constantly dwelling on negative experiences could prevent people from appreciating the opportunities and positive developments around them.
On community development, Wunti maintained that no individual could achieve meaningful progress in isolation, stressing that collaboration, shared responsibility and commitment to collective interests were necessary for building prosperous communities.
He urged the youths to become agents of positive change by encouraging others, building their confidence and helping them realise their potential.
He explained that inspiring a few individuals could create a chain of positive influence, as those encouraged would, in turn, extend similar support to others.
Wunti also challenged the participants to take responsibility for their circumstances, accept their challenges and seek practical solutions rather than constantly blaming others.
He urged them to lead wherever they found themselves, stressing the need to place character above noise, service above self-interest and the common good above private gains.
"Character over noise, service over self, common good over private gain," he urged.
He further encouraged the youths to draw inspiration from prominent personalities, including Nigeria's former Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; educationist and nationalist Sa'adu Zungur; Chief Obafemi Awolowo; former United States President Barack Obama; former South African President Nelson Mandela; Abdul El-Sayed and Zohran Mamdani, whom he cited as examples of individuals who pursued their ambitions while making contributions to society.
He said embracing integrity, confidence, competence, continuous learning and community participation would position young Nigerians to achieve excellence, provide responsible leadership and contribute meaningfully to national development.
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