By Dotun Ibiwoye

Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe has said that humility is the major attribute of a leader which the youth must imbibe in order to correct all the flaws and the vacuum of leadership in the country.

Akinkugbe stated this at the international leadership lecture for students of tertiary institutions in South West Nigeria organized by Reading Awareness Society for Development in Africa (RASDA) in conjunction with the Foundation for Creative Entrepreneurs, with the theme: Becoming the dream leader, as part of activities to mark the 70th birthday of Senator Rasheed Ladoja in Ibadan.

The first professor of medicine in Africa noted that youths hold the key for restructuring and making the country be at par with developed nations with its vast human and material resources.

Pointing out that literacy and hard work are major criteria for becoming an outstanding leader in any generation, Akinkugbe said “I remembered my last meeting with late Nelson Mandela. When I entered his living room, he was stuggling to get up to greet me and his maid was telling him to sit down. He did not sit down. He forced himself to stand. Even with his sick condition he said he was obliged to stand and greet me. I have never seen such humility in my life.”

“It is important to link education with democracy because the electorate must understand the happenings around the democratic settings. Being literate is the major criterion in the democratic process. A good leader must learn to serve and a leader who does not learn to serve becomes a nuisance.

The President of the RASDA, Mrs. Bukola Ladoja, affirmed that the programme was organised to inspire and mentor the youths into becoming better future leaders and RASDA is still a dynamic channel of intellectual capacity building of Africa in placing the continent on its path of development in the world.