On the 26th of July we officially inducted 25 fellows into the Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship, a fully-funded, non-partisan year-long multisite Political Leadership development project which nurtures and prepares young Nigerians for leadership at the local, regional and national levels.
The Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship aims at tackling the deep-rooted leadership problems we have faced as a country. The Fellowship’s first cohort was launched in March 2022 and a call for application was launched. As an organization, we may have underestimated the need for a program like this, we were pleasantly surprised by the number and quality of candidates who put themselves forward for the fellowship. After a thorough selection process, we are excited to announce that for this inaugural edition, we have chosen only 25 Fellows who will be exposed to the context, skills and networks necessary for them to play in Nigeria’s political arena and thrive while in it.
Throughout the selection process, fellows demonstrated intentionality, grit and commitment; and a clear determination to grow. They stood out from the crowd with compelling vision, ability to articulate their thoughts and a passion for the Nigerian project. It is our hope that the Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship will change the trajectory of your political journey for good.
Over the next few months, 25 selected fellows across Nigeria irrespective of culture, status, or background will gain access to a robust curriculum delivered by an experienced Faculty and technical support from an experienced Advisory Council. This fully-funded program will be implemented using a hybrid learning approach (Onsite & Virtual) where we build the capacity of Fellows, encourage peer-to-peer mentoring, and initiate an internship shadow opportunity with serving credible political officeholders after which the program will close out with an immersive physical Bootcamp experience giving an opportunity for fellows to network as well as pitch their capstone project.
The Induction process gave fellows an opportunity to ask questions about their fellowship journey, network with their colleagues and also prepare their minds for the journey ahead.
To kick-off the Virtual Training Phase of the fellowship, fellows got extreme value from the Pre-training Immersion Fireside Chat Panel Discussion session which took place on Thursday, 28th July 2022, this panel discussion provided insight to fellows on the topic ‘Getting Ready to Lead”, fellows had the opportunity to listen to various perspectives from panellists such as; Senator Liyel Imoke, EPLF Faculty Chair, Maryam Aliko Mohammed, CEO, Modalali, Lanre Osibona, CEO, Foresight Group, William Etim Bassey, Member, EPLF Technical Advisory Council, Ivy Ikpeme-Mbakwem, Chief Experience Officer, Africa Prudential Plc, this conversation was moderated by Adedoyin Adele-Fadipe, Member, Technical Advisory Council. The panel discussion was also an opportunity for fellows to ask pertinent questions critical for their political journey.
The fellows had this to say about the Pre-training Immersion session;
“The panellists reiterated as well as elucidated on the need for value reorientation which I have always considered to be a panacea for Africa’s rebirth.”
“Perspective shared by the panellist has strengthened my commitment to leadership and readiness to join the political process.”
“I was able to see how far I drifted in the wrong direction. And the appropriate steps I need to take to stay in my leadership course..”
We also asked the fellows what their motivation to go on this political leadership is and here is what they had to say;
“The need to serve and truly see changes in the nation. It’s painful there is an abundance of resources required for development, yet the citizens are not reaping the dividends of these resources. I want to be a political leader that gives people the opportunity to be their best and create an environment at scale that offers people the opportunity to be their best version while leaving the world a better place than I met it.”
“The desire for a better , working system of governance. With sound implementable policies that betters the life of everyone”
“Passion, Preparedness and Vision. My zeal and tenacity to see Young people in my country liberated from poverty, mental slavery and crime. I was born ready to lead and it has always reflected in all my previous antecedents. Most importantly, my love for humanity and the undying passion to bequeath a sustainable legacy for posterity is always my biggest motivation.”
As Foundation, we are confident that this Fellowship will provide an opportunity for fellows to gain clarity, support and critical knowledge for their political journey.
Follow the Fellowship on all our social media platforms to stay updated on all the fellowship activities on Facebook: @EPLFellowship, Twitter: @EPLFellowship, Instagram: @EPLFellowship LinkedIn: Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship (EPLF). For more information on the fellowship kindly visit https://eplf.thebridgeleadership.org/
