Leadership has been defined variously, with regards to management and administration, organizations and government. It is a common socio-political phenomenon with many expectations both from those that laid its foundation and the general public affected by its actions. Theoretically, it manifests in form of private or public organization or informal organization; by informal organization we refer to certain circumstances that we find ourselves demanding of prompt and precise responsibilities that will help in addressing a given issue.

To some people, it is the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members; to others, it implies relationship of power- the power to guide others.

Leadership, therefore, must engender in its mechanisms, institutions, and structures, a system that fosters integrity, authenticity, credibility, visibility (foresight), honesty, loyalty and the ultimate ethical value, justice and abhor the concealing of harmful information, bribes that are proffered, untruthfulness, abuse of authority, and the practice of nepotism. These virtues are only adequately expressed in actions and behavior, not mere words.

For me, Leadership is the ability to inspire others into participating in a shared vision; which involves choosing goals, selecting objectives and imposing requirements all towards achieving targets and generating progress. It is more pragmatic than theoretical in nature because it is an action word.  Hence, it implies the relationship of power- the power to guide others to attaining a shared vision.

For one to lead, one must be willing to follow because the whole essence of leading people to a shared vision is also being willing to go the length of the whole journey, following the passion and the road maps that lead to the set goals.

Not all leaders leave a legacy of succession but the few who do, possess these qualities: Lead the initiative with a long term view, build leaders at every level of the organization, create an enduring corporate culture with shared values; have the wisdom to know when to walk away from the limelight and; walk away from the organization with integrity.

In sum, one who leads is a leader. This is based on the function one performs at the moment. Thus as one author puts it, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. This is leadership defined.

The final test of a Greater leader is that he leaves in other men the will and the conviction to carry on.  Walter Lippman

YOUTHFUL VIBES

All over the world, young people have been known for their strength, their vitality, exuberance, quality, beauty, integrity, dynamism and creativity. From time past, even in Sacred Scriptures, we have seen how young people have shown forth these youthful attributes especially in the service of God. The mission of the Church [cf. Matt. 28:19] to go make disciples of all nations, is call to young people to use their energy to bear witnesses for Christ. Moses, Samuel< David, Daniel were all young people who played active part in the deliverance of the Israelites as recorded in the Bible

The future of the Church is in the hands of its young, hence in 1985, St. John Paul II initiated the World Youth Day, as a means of drawing young people together to help them recognize the role they play, are playing and should play in the life of the Church. So what are these roles we may ask, I have identified and categorized them thus;

Take The Lead [Leadership]

It is said that a leader must be visionary and willing to set the trend. It is impossible to set trends if he resists, ignore or trivialize change. A leader must be willing to not only explore new areas but also be willing to take the first step into a new area. As youths, we are called to lead. A very good platform is the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, CYON which is an umbrella body for all youths in the country between the agae3s of 18 – 35. Through CYON, we carry out our leadership function within the Church. Perhaps this helps us to further improving on ourselves [reaching within to embrace others] and then spreading out. The Church expects us to be ready at all times to take up various positions and the only way we can do that is to be prepared. We will be Chair of the PPC, Laity Council, CMO, CWO etc.?

Change can be described as any shift from the usual or any unexpected event that significantly impact our life. It is a constant factor of life; however our attitude determines whether these changes will be detrimental or beneficial to our purpose and progress in life. We must develop ourselves and prepare our minds for it. 

Giving Back [Volunteer]

Many of us possess various amazing qualities that Church needs in the propagation of the faith and in carrying out its pastoral obligation. The best way to put this to use is through volunteerism. This simply means giving one’s time, talent, treasure and thinking in furtherance of a particular project, cause or goal without expecting financial reward.

There are various ways we can volunteer; the choir, lectors, wardens/ushers, altar servers, MOD, cleaning the church, teaching catechism, working as admin staff in the parish officers, information officers, harvest and other committees etc. through these, we bring our personal expertise in achieving the mission and vision of the Church.

Getting Involved [Participate]

One of my favorite quotes from 2013 [which has really become a part of me] is participate to learn, learn to participate. Getting involved is quite essential because the Clergy and Religious cannot go everywhere. This means that with our participation in the activities and administration of the Church an initiative can continue to thrive even beyond a defined period of time and with the exit of its founders [sometime Parish Priests or even fellow youths or executives]. It entails thinking of ways to keep a project or an important part of it going on after its official end.

Sustaining Projects

People tend to be involved in projects if they are able to buy into the mission and vision, and if;

Succession [Mentoring]

This means transition; the passing of the baton of leadership from one leader to another. Within this context, it includes the grooming of the younger generation [those in MCA, teens and other children who look up to you] to prepare to take over the reins of leadership. To successfully plan your succession, you must ask yourself;

It is said of leaders that they cannot be called success unless they have successors. Hence, advanced planning by leaders helps to minimize risk during transitions, and supports organizational sustainability.

Just a little deviation, reports say that over 70% of Nigerian businesses and organizations fail to reach their third generations [they actually do not celebrate their 3^rd anniversaries] due to lack of good succession and sustainability plans. Brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi, PZ, Nestle etc. have existed for over 50 years and are still waxing stronger.  From the foregoing, it follows that those who aspire to become successors should; have earned the respect of different stakeholders within the organization. Fit with strategic needs of the organization. Have the necessary outside experience and education. Are passionate about the organization and the issues it addresses.

Back to the matter; now the Church has existed for over 2, 000 years and it seems that only the clergies understand the rule of mentoring as we the lay people do not think of it often hence we faced with crises during elections or even appointments of leaders. Let us mentor people who can take over from us. Even if the older generation has failed in this role, we must take it up and carry it out diligently.

FINAL WORDS … Legacy of Succession

Someone once said, If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader Not all leaders leave a legacy of succession but the few who do, possess these qualities;

The church calls us as young people to be a part of it as it is part of us. We have the strength, the creativity, the dynamism and the drive to bear true witnesses to Christ especially in our contemporary world. Those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits for greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.

Take Charge, Take the Lead!! Thank you!!!

OjisiEmezie

Speaker, Compere, Volunteer

Think it! Believe it! Work at it! Achieve it! 

A paper presented by Chimezie Judemary Udechukwu

An African proverb says “if you think you are too small to make a difference, then you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito”. This my food for thought for you as I bid you welcome on board our short journey of reflecting into the Nigerian Youths and Religious Bigotry.

OPENING STATEMENTS

Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI while addressing the youths of the world in the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil says Young people are known for their beauty, their strength, their creativity their vitality, their exuberance and their resilience; but they need to the right direction and motivation so as to channel these qualities to bear true witness to Christ.

In this era of globalization, advanced technological awareness, and the attendant launch of the New Media [Social Media], socialization has been redefined. With more man hours spent on this virtual world, only those who are internet savvy [techy in the language of today] can learn and be instructed, thus changing the entire scope of socialization.

THE NIGERIAN YOUTH, A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Since pre independence struggles, youths are have been active in determining the affairs of this country. The Enahoro’s and Azikiwe’s were young men who led multitudes; propagating ideologies with rich oratory, fine argument and Prolific writings. Ojukwu too was young, so was Gown, and Idiagbon. Whether on the positive or negative sides, youths have played vital roles in shaping the course of this nation. In the early decades after independence, young people were much more concerned about the arts, oratory, chivalry, leaning towards political ideologies [especially in the cold war era]. But at the turn of the 21^st century, we have seen a paradigm shift in the thinking of young people especially Nigerians. This perhaps we can attribute to unpopular policies, absence of welfare scheme for the youth, the activities of unscrupulous politicians, the spread of religious extremism and the near collapse of the education sector.

There are about 236 institutions of higher learning in the country [Federal, State, Private – Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education], and these institutions graduate up to 500,000 graduates every year. Thus, the Federal Bureau of Statistics has placed unemployment rate at 26%. The percentage of the self-employed has also been placed at 36.3%, and they constitute 13% of the entire population, just as the number of graduates unemployed is 83% out of the 26% of the total unemployed.

There has been a huge departure from the values of our founding fathers as a nature – honesty, diligence, hard work, perseverance, discipline, patience, consistency, the reward for labour and industry. The ibu anyi danda [the load does not crush the ant] igbo philosophy is lost. In as much as we complain of our failing education system, we must be quick to add here that our youths have become mentally and intellectually lazy, a stone throw away from being Tabula Rasa’s. This is a breeding ground for religious bigotry.

 CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION

Youth

The period between childhood and maturity [adulthood] characterized by freshness, exuberance, vigor and vitality and innovation. While some argue that it spans from 15- 28, others say 18 – 35 while there are those who argue that it is from 16 – 40. Whichever be the case, one fact we cannot hide is that at this stage, they are very impressionable.

Religious Bigotry

In defining this concept, many of us seated here will be quick to point at non Catholics, Muslims and perhaps even Animists [Traditional worshippers] but the term simply means among others; racism, narrow-mindedness, chauvinism, bias, intolerance or prejudice towards a religion other than one’s own. Since religion in itself signifies the belief in, worship and devotion to a Supreme Being, as Catholics, God, it therefore means that even as Catholics we have religious bigots among us.

THE NIGERIAN YOUTH, RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY: THE NEXUS

As we have noted earlier, religious bigotry is embedded in intolerance, and the youths, are the active drivers of any ideology. So religion, which in itself is quite ideological, can be attributed to the various acts of violence resulting from the activities of youthful bigots. Thus we can safely infer that there exist a relationship between growing spate of religious bigotry and the demographic composition of the country, which is largely youthful.

This youthfulness with its numerous challenges as enunciated by Bishop Mathew Kukah [the Msgr] in his address to the delegates of the 2^nd National Youth Day Celebration, Abuja in 2010 includes unemployment, insecurity, godfatherism, sexual abuse, urbanization, exclusion, loneliness / emptiness, indifference, poverty, uncertainty and frustration.

Religious bigotry is in the league of religious fundamentalism, a set of religious beliefs based on a literal interpretation of a religious text; they are embattled forms of spirituality, which have emerged as a response to a perceived crisis. Another offshoot of bigotry and fundamentalism is terrorism. It is a form of political and institutional violence of the fundamentalist that challenges the legitimacy and authority of the state. It has been used throughout history at various times and by various groups especially religious sects to express their anger at the government. Fundamentalists have no time for democracy, pluralism, religious toleration, peacekeeping, free speech or the separation of church and state. Fundamentalisms all follow a certain pattern. Fundamentalists see themselves as engaging in a conflict with enemies whose secularist policies and beliefs seem inimical to religion itself.

Nigeria is said to be among the most religious nations on the earth but this is not translated in the spirituality and piety of its people. Unfortunately, the major culprits and victims of religious bigotry are young people because they possess the innovation and energy. This is clearly evident in the horrendous display by the Boko Harm Sect from starting out as an Islamic sect with a puritanical, conservative, literalist approach to Islamic theology sometimes in 2002, in Maiduguri, Borno State, North – eastern part of Nigeria to becoming an armed group with scores to settle against the Nigerian state for the murder of its leader, Muhammad Yusuf in cold blood in July, 2009; Boko Haram has continued to wreck untold havoc on the Nigerian people especially those in the North east region, military institutions and government establishments. Fatality figures are in the thousands while hundreds of millions of Naira worth of properties have been lost. An example of bigotry unchecked.

ECUMENISM AND DIALOGUE: PIETY FOR BIGOTRY

In Jn 17: 18-21 Jesus expresses His desire for oneness and unity among the peoples. Ecumenism aims at promoting cooperation and universal Christian unity on one hand while Inter Religious Dialogue seeks to engage in rich dialogue that among the various religious organizations in the country. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and the Nigeria Inter Religious Council, NIREC are bodies established to see to this.

Msgr. Jerome Madueke also addressing the 2010 NYD Delegates notes contemporary Catholic Youth are urged to drink from the wellspring of Christian tradition of prayer. A neglect to drink from authentic spring of Christian spirituality constitutes a sin of omission which risks supplicants to drink poison.  He further advised that works of great mystics - such as Sts. Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, the teachings of Sts. Augustine, Francis De Sales, Alphonsus Liguori and the great spiritualties of Sts. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Maria Faustina etc., be introduced to young people for their spiritual edification.

The gift of piety begets in the human heart a filial affection for Abba Father. An intimacy develops thereof that devotionally grows. True Friendship provides an opportunity for the expression of love and affection, the avoidance of pain; also, it shows the virtue in tolerance; the folly in anger, the emptiness in jealousy; the beauty of forgiveness and the necessity of repentance, as well as the bond of family and the respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life. This is what ecumenism calls us be and to do. We must each other as part of God’s creation irrespective of religious affiliation. Piety nourishes relationship with neighbors, devotion to one to duty to one’s family and society. Without justice and charity, spirituality becomes vain, and faith smothers and dies [Jm. 2:14-20; 1:22-27: 1 Jn 4:12].   

Gov. Babatunde Fashola in his address to an Interfaith Conference organized by the state in May 2014 urged religious leaders to eschew hate messages from the pulpit and avoid politicking as much as possible. He cautioned that they must avoid situations where grievances are ventilated merely on religious grounds as this is capable of degenerating to breaching of the peace in the State. From the same conference which I attended as a delegate from Archdiocesan CYON, it was observed that;

In the light of the aforementioned, it was resolved that;

FINAL WORDS

My fellow young people, we have in us, physical energy, vitality, human strength, mental power, life exuberance, human capabilities all towering towards the zenith of our lives. Our age is the age of achieving goals, successes and realizing dreams. Do not let anyone drag you into any unnecessary religious unwholesome scruples. Life is to short to be spent on fulfilling other people’s unhealthy whims and caprices.

Live, Learn, Love! Indeed we are can be one and the world can truly be peaceful!

May the Peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding, be you all.

Remain rooted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith… Col. 2:7

I thank you for listening/