• 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 threateni
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