We aim to build a national network of leaders —Bakare, JCI Nigeria National President

With 65 years of operationa in Nigeria, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nigeria has built a legacy of developing the capacity of young people in the country for leadership, sustainable impact and positive national development through empowerment opportunities. In this interview with NCHETACHI CHUKWUAJAH, JCI Nigeria National President, Mr Olawale Bakare, says the Chamber is poised to build a national network of leaders and bridge the skill gap of its members to prepare them for the future workplace.

What is your role as JCI Nigeria President?

As JCI Nigeria President, I lead and chair meetings and activities of the JCI Nigeria Board of Directors. The President is responsible for setting the direction of the organisation for the year and motivating members at local level to take action as enterprising young leaders. I also bear the flag of Nigeria at JCI International conferences, events and meetings.

What prepared you for this new role?

I started this journey 18 years ago at the University of Ibadan where I rose to become President in 2007 of JCIN UI. It is a journey that has taken me through Collegiate Leadership and Junior Chamber International, Ibadan, on whose nomination I became National President. I have benefitted immensely from guidance and mentorship from older members and my peers over the years of membership as well. I got some international exposure attending JCI global conferences and got the opportunity to serve on the JCI Growth and Development Committee as Africa and Middle East Development Council member. I will also say my experience working in about three multinational companies in different industries over the last 10 years has greatly shaped my leadership experience.

What informed the choice of ‘ONE Legacy’ as your theme for the year?

We are 65 years old as an organisation in Nigeria this year and my personal experience in 18 years is that our forebears have left us a legacy of opportunities, meaningful networking and empowerment. I feel the need to lead my generation of JCI members to deliberately create a future of legacies that the people coming after us will be proud of for JCI and the Nigerian society.

How do you intend to achieve this?

We will focus on creating opportunities for our members and other young people. Based on the current socio-economic realities, JCI Nigeria members will be exposed to development opportunities to grow in capacity. We will leverage our diversity to build a more resilient organisation. In 2022 and beyond, we aim to build a national network of leaders. This year, it is expected that the world would have fully integrated the new normal. We aim to empower our members and young people with sustainable skills needed to thrive in the new normal.

Youths constitute your membership. What is your organisation doing about the issue of unemployment in the country?

We agree that the rate of youth unemployment is alarming. We however believe there is a bigger problem of employability. We are committed to helping to bridge the skill gap. Truth is that the last few years have seen the creation of jobs and career paths that never existed before now. Outstanding young people with the right skills now have multiple jobs in and out of Nigeria that pay them in foreign currency while working from home. We are engaging partnerships to help our members and young people skill up and be ready for the jobs of today.

How can the government help youths to be more productive?

We advocate first for the government at state and federal levels to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive so that employment is created. Government cannot possibly create all the jobs but with the enablers, the private sector is able to create jobs to help our young people get engaged. Everyday we interact with loads of talented young Nigerians who want to leave the country. We should be worried as a nation and do something about this.

How will JCI contribute to economic and national development?

More than anytime we are working closely with the NYSC and the state and Federal Ministries of Youth. We have an active CDS group in the NYSC where we coach corps members on National service to become enterprising young leaders. We are going to be working with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to create a digital opportunity desk where young people can go and find information about grant and job opportunities. In 2022, we are commencing the construction of our National Secretariat that will serve as a centre to teach skills to our youth population.

JCI Nigeria is a leadership development organisation. How do you think the leadership challenge in Nigeria could be fixed?

As funny as it may sound, I think a step would be for every young person to belong to a JCI local organisation to learn the right leadership values that can be taken into governance in the external society. Our JCI creed is a tested guide for a society that is led with the right values.

In 2022, we are upscaling our 23 year old JCI Nigeria Leadership Academy to what will be called the ‘Nigerian Leadership Academy’ that will have participation from all 36 states of Nigeria with young people coming together to envision the Nigeria we want to see in 2030.  We are committed to developing leaders for our fast-changing world.

What can the JCI do to foster peace and unity in the country?

One of the goals of the Nigerian Leadership Academy is to help our graduates better understand diversity and go back to their respective states to campaign for Nigeria to stay as one in a peaceful manner. We want to help Nigerians understand that we are from different tribes only by circumstances of our birth. The Academy is expected to annually produce and review a Charter adopted by these credible young people representing different parts of Nigeria reflecting our dreams for Nigeria in 2030. This we hope to present to the Federal Government.

What do you regard as JCI’s most important contribution to the country?

We have produced outstanding leaders in the private and public sectors of the Nigerian society. Our members such as Mrs. Ibukun Awosika (former Chairman of First Bank), Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (Former Governor of Delta State), Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN), ministers, commissioners, judges, SANs, legislators, captains of industries, etc, are testimonies to the quality of leadership training JCI is known for. Though we are not affiliated to any political party as an organisation, we encourage our members and young people to participate in the process of governance by registering to vote, joining a political party and seeking election into office.