Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on serving good leaders to groom successors who are better than them for the sustainability of the soul of democracy.
The Vice President stated this at the unveiling and public presentation of a book written by Dr Goke Adegoroye, a retired federal permanent secretary, yesterday in Abuja.
The he title of the book is: “Leadership in the Nigerian Civil Service, Five Decades of Lessons in Performance, Encounters and Triumphs.”
Shettima, represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Vice President’s Office, Dr Aliyu Umar, said that Nigerian leaders must make succession planning a way of governance.
He described the book as a gift to a nation that is still finding its rhythm, adding that it was a call to see mentorship as an act of responsibility, not charity.
“The sustainability of every form, the credibility of every institution, and the very soul of our democracy, depend on the willingness to prepare successors, who are better than us.
“Our history is littered with policies that began well but vanished with their pioneers because no one was prepared to carry the torch forward.
“We must speak plainly — a political culture that does not believe in succession is not designed to survive, it is designed to fail,” he said.
According to Shettima, President Bola Tinubu is a model in Nigeria’s political history, as far as leadership succession planning is concerned.
“Long before succession planning became a buzzword, he had already sown his seeds across Nigeria’s political and administrative terrain.
“His genius was not only in leading but in identifying those who could lead after him in Lagos.
“He built institutions, empowered people, and mentored a generation of technocrats and politicians, who have continued the work he had begun outside Lagos and Nigeria,” he said.
Shettima emphasised that continuity was not accidental but a result of foresight, adding that foresight was what leaders must institutionalise across all spheres of national life.
He urged Nigerian leaders to bridge the gap between potential and opportunity, and build a nation, where every child knows the path of leadership is paved by preparation, not privilege.
Shettima admonished leaders to deliberately nurture, train, equip, inspire and mentor the young ones to succeed them, adding that no reform would outlive its architects unless it was institutionalised through deliberate succession.
“We cannot leave the future to chance. We must prepare the next generation of leaders. If we fail to be leaders, we cannot be surprised when institutional or institutions collapse.
“Leadership is not performance. It is sacrifice, and sacrifice cannot be taught in theory, it must be nurtured through mentorship and examples.
“Our young people are watching but watching is not enough, they must be engaged, they must be trained, they must be trusted,” he said.
Also speaking, the author described the book as his reflection and introspection to offer advice and guidance to Nigeria’s elected, appointed and career leaders on governance and public service.
He expressed the belief that the lessons, tips and recommendations provided in the book would offer a pathway to enhancing leadership effectiveness in the Nigerian civil service.
Earlier, Chief Olu Falae, the chairman of the occasion, the Baba Oba of Akureland, and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, urged others to write their memoirs like Adegoroye.