The immediate past governor of Borno State Kashim Shettima has said his successor Babagana Zulum is “better than me in all ramifications.”
Shettima, now representing Borno Central Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate, also described Zulum as a trustworthy leader.
The Senator disclosed this on Sunday while delivering a paper at a Public Lecture organized by a Coalition of Youths Groups in Birnin Kebbi.
He explained that he crossed a number of hurdles to eventually arrive at choosing his successor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, whom he also described as a trustworthy politician.
The former governor advised leaders to realise that leadership was a trust from God Almighty, adding that, it should be seen as a temporal session that one must account for in the hereafter.
“As leaders, we must put a sense of mentorship, train the youth to the best of our ability, bearing in mind that we cannot live forever,” Shettima advised.
He stressed the need for the youth to be committed in the pursuit of education, to comfortably drive the country to the promised land.
Shettima advocated for a grassroots socio-economic empowerment propel national growth and development of the entire country.
The former Governor of Borno State, while commending Kebbi youths for their hard work and maturity, charged them to embrace education as a key to future development.
In his speech at the occasion, Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, urged youths in the country to learn to support the evolution of future leaders.
According to Bagudu, “Mentorship involves a lot of risks. it’s one thing to mentor and succeeds, while it’s another one to mentor and fails.
“The youths must hear this, as risk-taking is an element of mentorship. This is imperative for them to support the process .”
Bagudu stated that good leaders must focus on mentoring future leaders that will be better than them and not like them.
The Kebbi governor also noted that this was the only way the society could thrive and get better.
He extolled Shattima for sharing his vast experience in mentoring one of Nigeria’s finest leaders, Prof. Babagana Zulum.
“He was however silent on the formidable risks he took in doing so, although he mildly alluded to that,” Bagudu added.
