A retired Major-General and Professor of Military History, Maj.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has called for the transformation of power and leadership into tools for social change, national development and service to humanity.
Ibrahim made the call on Monday while delivering the 22nd Professorial Inaugural Lecture of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, titled “Power, Patriotism and Legacy: A Historian’s Reflection on Leadership Values and the Fate of a Nation.”
He said leadership positions and authority were divinely ordained and temporary, stressing that what truly mattered was how power was used to positively impact lives and promote societal development.
According to him, true leadership was not about exercising authority but about inspiring, empowering and transforming people for the collective good of society.
Ibrahim noted that for Nigeria to experience a rebirth of national values, leadership and power must be rooted in the people and aligned with their collective aspirations. He emphasised the need to empower citizens to hold leaders accountable, adding that societies that thrived historically were those that rewarded merit and sanctioned misconduct.
The retired general urged Nigerians to consciously shape their legacy while still in active service, stating that citizenship came with the responsibility to contribute meaningfully to nation-building. He added that a good name and positive impact were more valuable than material wealth.
He observed that many leaders often lost sight of service when elevated to positions of authority, describing this disconnect as a major obstacle to societal transformation. According to him, legacy should be measured by the number of lives positively touched and the lasting impact made on society.
Reflecting on his career, Ibrahim said he was privileged to have served in both the military and academia, attributing his achievements to faith in God, perseverance and commitment to humanity. He described the two sectors as partners in nation-building, noting that while the military safeguarded national security, academia generated knowledge for development.
He called for stronger collaboration between the military and academia through structured knowledge-sharing, joint research initiatives and policy development. He also advocated the establishment of joint research and innovation hubs, formal partnerships, and the deployment of senior academics as research fellows in military institutions.
Ibrahim further urged better utilisation of personnel in the Education Corps and the engagement of retired military scholars in research and higher institutions to sustain capacity-building and national development.
In his remarks, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, commended the NDA for sustaining intellectual excellence and national service through its professorial lecture series. Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Shu’aibu Magaji, the governor described the event as academically significant and nationally relevant.
Sule paid tribute to Ibrahim, describing him as a distinguished scholar-soldier whose career reflected service, patriotism and enduring national impact. He said Ibrahim’s leadership roles, including as former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), demonstrated his commitment to national unity and reform.
Earlier, the Commandant of the NDA, Maj.-Gen. Oluyemi Olatoye, said leadership anchored on patriotism, integrity and sound values was critical to Nigeria’s stability and development. Represented by the Deputy Commandant, AVM Abdullahi Kirfi Bello, he said the lecture underscored the Academy’s commitment to academic excellence and the integration of military professionalism with scholarship.
Olatoye urged cadets and participants to draw lessons from the lecture, stressing that the future of the nation depended on the quality of leadership and values upheld by those entrusted with power.