The Executive Chairman, Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area, Mr Johnson Babatunde, on Tuesday advised school children and youths not to be problems to the nation.

Babatunde gave the advice at the 11th edition of the School Prefect Leadership Summit organised by the International Leadership Talent and Award Conference (INLETACO) in Lagos.

The event, organised for senior prefects in selected public and private schools, was tagged: “Leadership and Charisma”.

Babatunde, who commended the organisers, urged students and the youths to shun unruly behaviour and prepare for future leadership positions.

“I want to advise students and youths to shun violence. You should not give yourselves to drug abuse. You should be agents of change and impact positively on the lives of others.

“You should not be the problem, be the solution to the problems. Leadership entails service to humanity,” the council boss said.

Babatunde, who called on stakeholders to join hands with the government to reform the youths, said that people do not need to be in government before impacting their society.

“This is a great event in bringing the students together, especially the prefects among them, to build leadership confidence in them. A programme like this which tell students how to prepare for the future is great.

“We are arousing their interest in governance and leadership. They will soon be in this position of leadership. They must get themselves prepared.

“If we had this opportunity while we were growing up, probably we would have been better than this,” he added.

Speaking, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary Education District III, Dr Yinka Ayandele, who also commended the organisers, said charisma was the oil that fueled leadership.

Ayandele, who was represented by Mrs Folashade Adewuyi, urged the students to prepare to be good leaders of tomorrow with extraordinary charisma.

“Leadership is a journey and a life-long learning process. Charisma is an innate skill of being able to convince people to follow you and to buy into your vision.

“Charisma is the behavioural trait that draws people to your vision and keeps them committed unto the objectives until it is realised. It attracts people to you,” he said.

Highlighting the quality of a leader, Ayandele said a leader must have a vision and direction, with good communication and listening skills.

She said that a leader must be able to sweep through pieces of advice, identify the strengths and weaknesses of members of his team.

Ayandele said a leader must be firm, responsible, compassionate and show empathy in order to have support.

Mr Jide Ologun, a legal practitioner, and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Transformation Opportunity Providers (TOP) Foundation talked about self-leadership which he described as discipline and self-control.

Ologun said: “You need self-leadership. Anyone that has this self-leadership, the leadership around him will elevate him or her. If you play now you will pay later.

“If you pay now, you will play later. Success is not difficult for the wise. Be serious with your life. There is space for you at the top but you have to play your role,” he said.

Explaining success, Ologun said that students must have a strategy (vision and mission), uniqueness, character, choice, excellence, sound minds, and solution.

Also speaking, Mrs Sherifat Adedoyin, the Permanent Board Member, Lagos State University Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said students need leadership skills at this age of their lives for the betterment of the nation.

Adedoyin urged students not to allow anyone to make them inferior and less human beings, saying they could make marks and fulfil their purpose.

Earlier, the organiser, Rev. Damilola Paul, said that the programme, which started in 2011, had spread to Ogun, to build leadership traits in school children for nation-building.

Paul said: “Our aim is to train leaders that have good leadership qualities for this country. Many were born leaders but not trained leaders, hence the reason for failure.

“We discover that most of the leaders produced in Nigeria do not have leadership orientation but find themselves in leadership positions by chance.”

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He said that leadership was not to bully, hurt or maltreat people but to be able to serve and impact others.

The event had in attendance senior male and female prefects drawn from various schools.

The event featured award presentations and the crowning of the first president of School Perfects.