Dear Sons and Daughters:
Good evening from Maryland, U.S.A. This is Rev. Fr. Dr. Godswill Uchenna Agbagwa. I am the Founder and President of CSAAE. CSAAE family calls me Fr. G or Daddy.
Congratulations on your acceptance into our Emerging African Leaders Program. You are sure quite lucky because we received hundreds of applications but needed less than fifty youths.
ELP is not your typical youth empowerment program. It is a special program for youths who want to lead Africa in the future. While it is said that you can lead from any seat, ELP is not preparing those who can lead from any seat. We are nurturing those who can lead from the MOST INFLUENTIAL SEATS. The leadership influence of your Vice Chancellor on campus is pervasive, but it is nothing compared to the leadership influence of the Minister for Education. The influence of your Law professor is high on campus, but it is nothing compared to the influence of the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We can go on and on and on.
ELP is for those who want to be the Minister for Education, Attorney General of the Federation, Governors, Presidents, Senators, Judges, Media Moguls, Bishops, and Business Moguls often considered as critical actors in development and nation building. These leaders have more influence in society and can fast-track growth and development or cause poverty and pain for millions through their decisions.
For example, millions of Nigerian University students are now on strike and some may die before classes resume because a few men and women have refused to do the right thing for college education in Nigeria. Two men or three men: The Minister for Education and the President have shut down our campuses and will delay the graduation date of millions of Nigerian students. ELP is designed to produce a Minister for Education or President that will put an end to strikes by doing the right thing for students and professors.
In the days ahead, my team will introduce you to CSAAE, ELP and other programs at the Centre. They will prepare you for the upcoming foundation conference designed to re-calibrate your mode of reasoning, expose you to Nigeria’s leadership challenges and challenge you to tackle malignant community problems in Nigeria using innovative tools.
ELP is a three-year program. 20-30% of those who start with us do not make it to NEAL. But if some have made it, you too can. Yes, you can if you believe you can. Once again, welcome to CSAAE.
I love you all.
REV. FR. DR. GODSWILL AGBAGWA
(Founder and President).
