• Sulaiman urges strategic leadership ahead of 2027 elections
•As NGCI demands ideological clarity, greater youth participation
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections, with its leadership emphasising strategic institutional preparedness while youth advocates have challenged a political system they described as lacking ideological direction.
The twin developments emerged from separate NILDS programmes in Marrakech, Morocco, and Abuja, where policymakers, legislators, academics and youth leaders canvassed stronger institutions, political accountability, civic participation and a more purposeful democratic culture.
At an international executive leadership course for members of the NILDS Governing Council in Marrakech, the Director-General of the Institute, Professor Abubakar O. Sulaiman, warned that Nigeria’s democratic institutions must anticipate emerging challenges rather than merely react to them.
The four-day programme, organised by NILDS’ Centre for Advanced Executive Education Programme (CAEEP), is themed, “Strategic Leadership and Institutional Readiness for Legislative Excellence: Interrogating Topical Issues on Nigeria’s Democratic Development.”
Sulaiman said the programme was not designed merely to provide participants with a break from Abuja but to create an environment where they could “think, reflect, learn, interrogate and prepare” for the challenges confronting Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
He described the Governing Council as the highest policy organ of NILDS, stressing that its responsibilities went beyond routine supervision to providing the strategic direction, relevance and ambition required to keep the Institute responsive to Nigeria’s evolving democratic needs.
“The quality of decisions taken by the Council has implications not only for NILDS but also for the capacity of the National Assembly to effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
According to him, rapid technological advancement, increasing demands for accountability, complex security challenges and the emergence of artificial intelligence had fundamentally altered the environment in which democratic institutions operate.
He therefore urged institutional leaders to move beyond conventional approaches to leadership and develop the capacity to anticipate and shape change.
“Strategic leadership is not simply about managing institutions. It is about anticipating change, shaping it and positioning institutions to remain relevant,” Sulaiman said.
He noted that although democracies had different histories and political realities, successful institutions shared common principles, including professionalism, innovation, institutional memory, continuous capacity development, public engagement, effective use of technology and adaptability.
The NILDS DG also placed the leadership programme in the context of the 2027 general elections, saying the Institute must begin preparations early to ensure that it is positioned to support the National Assembly through the electoral transition.
He said NILDS would be expected to contribute to the induction and orientation of newly elected legislators, preserve institutional knowledge and promote continuity by equipping lawmakers with knowledge of parliamentary procedures, legislative processes, oversight responsibilities and the constitutional framework.
“Institutional readiness cannot be achieved at the last minute. It requires foresight, planning, coordination and strategic leadership,” he declared.
Representing the President of the Senate and Chairman of the NILDS Governing Council, Senator Godswill Akpabio, at the Marrakech programme was Senator Victor Umeh.
The course brought together members of the National Assembly and other stakeholders, with resource persons drawn from Nigeria and abroad to examine governance, democracy, legislative development and institutional leadership.
Among the resource persons are Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, GCON; Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Senator Ita Enang; former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, OFR; and Professor Zakaria Garno of the Institute of Legal and Political Sciences, Euromed University.
Meanwhile, at the National Youth Conference on Civic Leadership, Electoral Participation and Democratic Governance organised by NILDS in partnership with Next Generation Civic Initiatives (NGCI) in Abuja, the Chairman of NGCI, Olayemi Atakan, identified ideological bankruptcy and youth exclusion as major weaknesses threatening Nigeria’s democratic development.
Atakan lamented that despite having more than 21 registered political parties after 27 years of the Fourth Republic, Nigerians were yet to see clear ideological distinctions that would enable voters to identify what individual parties fundamentally stood for.
“It is deeply troubling that, 27 years into the Fourth Republic, Nigeria with over 21 registered political parties still has no clear ideology for Nigerians to identify with,” he said.
He described the country’s political system as a “jack of all trades, master of none,” arguing that parties should offer citizens clear ideological choices rather than political platforms that attempt to appeal to everyone.
“Our party system has become a case of ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. We are committed to advocating for a political system built on clear ideology, where the people can align and stand for something,” Atakan said.
“That is a gap the young can close, but only by first deciding what we actually believe.”
The NGCI chairman also rejected the familiar political refrain that Nigerian youths were merely “leaders of tomorrow”, describing it as an excuse for postponing meaningful youth participation in governance.
“We have grown far too comfortable telling young Nigerians that they are the leaders of tomorrow. That must stop today, because tomorrow is not a plan. Tomorrow is a postponement,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria did not have a shortage of young people but lacked the political organisation, institutional access, civic literacy, ideological clarity, economic opportunities and representation needed to translate the country’s youthful population into national development.
“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of young people,” Atakan said, citing United Nations projections that the country’s population could reach roughly 400 million by 2050, with young people accounting for a substantial proportion.
He added that Nigeria’s democratic crisis was also reflected in a growing trust deficit between citizens and government, which manifested in voter apathy and the increasing desire among young Nigerians to seek opportunities abroad.
“Our democracy suffers from a basic trust deficit between citizens and government, and that deficit shows up in two places: massive voter apathy, and the steady pull of ‘Japa’, as more of us look for our future somewhere else,” he said.
“But this fight is ours.”
Atakan further cited the views of NILDS lecturers, Professor Jerry Ugokwe and Dr. Mohammed Wakil, saying they had linked effective democracy to an informed electorate with economic sustenance and a political system grounded in distinct ideological choices.
Taken together, the two NILDS initiatives underscored the growing demand for institutional preparedness, informed citizenship and political clarity as Nigeria approaches another critical electoral cycle.
While the Marrakech leadership programme focused on strengthening the capacity of institutions at the highest policy level, the Abuja youth conference placed the spotlight on the citizens and younger generation whose participation will ultimately determine the quality and sustainability of Nigeria’s democratic system.
