The Niger Delta: How Centre LSD Is Preparing a New Generation to Lead

Through programmes supported by PIND and the Ford Foundation, young people have moved from leadership training into enterprise, community action and legislative office. Their journeys reveal the human impact of investing in a generation’s potential.

By Monday Osasah

For years, Amienye Omorogie helped other people pursue political power. He mobilised supporters and contributed to campaigns in Edo State. Yet, whenever he considered contesting an election himself, fear stood in the way.

Elsewhere in Edo, Dorcas Orhiaki was running after vehicles on the Benin–Agbor road to sell bread. She wanted a different future but struggled to see how to reach it.

In Delta State, Akunne Judith, a trained teacher with a disability, was earning only ₦5,000 a month. Her qualification had not translated into the livelihood she hoped for.

Their circumstances differed, but each encountered an opportunity through Centre LSD’s youth leadership programmes. What followed was a decision to contest, build an enterprise, establish a school, or organise a community.

These stories show how leadership development can change what young people believe is possible, and what they are prepared to do.

A wealthy region whose youths deserve opportunity

The Niger Delta’s natural wealth has never guaranteed opportunity for its young people. Across communities affected by environmental damage, limited livelihoods and political exclusion, the distance between aspiration and achievement remains considerable.

Behind unemployment figures are people whose abilities remain unused. Behind political exclusion are citizens with ideas for their communities who lack access to the knowledge, relationships and resources needed to advance them. An aspiring entrepreneur needs guidance. A young graduate needs practical experience. A citizen interested in politics needs to understand how to organise, communicate a vision and seek public responsibility.

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development responded through two distinct interventions. With support from the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), it implemented a leadership capacity-building programme combining training with internship and mentorship. Later, with Ford Foundation support, its Youths Can Lead programme prepared young people for political participation.

Both interventions recognised that potential requires practical support and opportunities to grow.

PIND: Connecting knowledge with experience

Implemented in 2013–2014, the PIND-supported programme trained and mentored 80 youths from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers. Participants received leadership, entrepreneurship, computer and communication training, followed by six months of internship or mentorship. They could observe organisational life, learn from experienced practitioners and apply their knowledge.

Their testimonies reveal the value of this approach. Joseph Okputu reported acquiring practical lessons through his internship. Ehizogie Omoijuanfo gained firsthand understanding of organisational workings. Linda Nkoro learned to apply theoretical knowledge in practice, while Ime Pius described learning from his mentor how to pursue success. Fubara Lily Biobele identified greater consistency as an important personal gain.

These experiences may appear modest beside the scale of the region’s development challenges. Yet understanding an organisation, developing discipline and learning to apply knowledge can change a young person’s readiness for employment, enterprise and leadership. Mentorship provided time for that growth. Participants could ask questions, receive guidance and learn through experience. For those seeking a foothold in working life, access to an experienced person offered direction and encouragement.

PIND’s subsequent strategic plan recorded that the 80 trained and mentored youths were taking on leadership responsibilities as change agents, supporting positive changes in values and livelihoods in their communities and states. Their preparation was beginning to benefit others.

The programme demonstrated the importance of following training with practical opportunities. Its contribution lay in helping young people connect what they knew with what they could do and preparing them to assume responsibilities in workplaces and communities.

Ford Foundation: Preparing young people to participate in politics

Between 2017 and 2019, Centre LSD’s Ford-supported Youths Can Lead programme worked with young people in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States. Centre LSD’s programme records identify 261 young men and women reached across the three states.

The programme covered political institutions, party operations, electoral processes, civic responsibilities, campaign strategies and ethical leadership. It also addressed barriers such as patronage, financial exclusion and discrimination, with attention to women and marginalised groups.

Participants gained tools to organise supporters, engage political parties, present their ideas and prepare for elective or appointive responsibilities. Their journeys also extended into enterprise and community service.

Edo: Courage, enterprise and service

Amienye Omorogie: From mobilising for others to presenting his own vision

After attending the training in June 2018, Amienye moved from considering a candidacy to organising one.

He purchased a nomination form, raised campaign funds, developed a social media campaign and presented his manifesto, “The Made in Ikpoba-Okha Agenda.” He established political structures across the ten wards of his constituency and won his party’s primary.

He contested the 2019 Edo State House of Assembly election and, according to his testimony, finished third. He did not win the general election, but after years of supporting other candidates, he had put his own vision before voters. His experience demonstrates why electoral victory alone cannot measure the value of leadership development. The confidence to contest, organise support, and learn from the experience marked a significant change in his political journey.

Dorcas Orhiakhi: From roadside bread selling to farming

Dorcas grew up in a household sustained by bread selling and peasant farming. She became a bread seller herself, pursuing vehicles along the Benin–Agbor road in the sun and rain. The programme’s lessons on savings and investment gave her a practical starting point. She began saving ₦1,500 weekly, sustaining the practice for 60 weeks.

She subsequently secured one hectare of land and cultivated crops including tomatoes, maize and cucumber. With support from her mentor, who provided an additional four hectares, her farming expanded to five hectares.

In her account, Dorcas described becoming financially independent and reducing her reliance on her parents. The training helped her connect a desire for a better livelihood with concrete steps towards achieving it.

Iyabor Ikponmwosa: Turning concern for girls into action

For Iyabor Ikponmwosa, the programme helped activate an ambition to support girls through the Pad the Girl Child Initiative.

Her account records an initial distribution of about 1,200 sanitary pads to girls at Ithohan Girls Grammar School and Ugimon Secondary School. By the time her story was documented, she reported distributing approximately 2,300–2,500 pads across the two schools. The initiative translated concern for girls’ welfare into practical assistance. It also reflected a broader understanding of leadership: recognising a need and organising a response.

Delta: Legislative leadership, enterprise and political organising

Innocent Anidi: From beneficiary to Minority Leader

Innocent Anidi, a beneficiary of Youths Can Lead, contested and won the 2019 election to represent Ethiope East in the Delta State House of Assembly. He subsequently became the Assembly’s Minority Leader, taking on responsibilities for representation and legislative leadership.

His journey provides a concrete example of a programme beneficiary entering public office. It also places a responsibility on those who emerge: to use their positions in ways that respond to constituents’ needs and strengthen accountable governance.

Mathew Omonade: Leadership preparation bearing fruit over time

Mathew Omonade contested and won the 2023 election and currently represents Ughelli North Constituency I in the Delta State House of Assembly. His emergence several years after the programme illustrates how the benefits of leadership preparation can unfold over time. Knowledge and confidence gained during training may become useful as later opportunities arise.

His achievement also reflects his own sustained work. Training contributed to preparation; electoral success required him to organise, build support and pursue his ambition.

Akunne Judith: From a ₦5,000 salary to Winners Academy

Akunne Judith held a National Certificate of Education but was earning only ₦5,000 a month in a private school. As a woman with a disability, she also encountered barriers to employment and participation. After attending the programme, she began working towards an enterprise of her own. In September 2018, she established Winners Academy in an unfinished building within her family compound.

She started with three children. At the time her story was documented, the school had grown to close to 50 pupils, and she had employed two additional teachers. Judith also formed Akashede Women in Politics, creating a platform for women to discuss political participation, savings and investment. Members developed a thrift arrangement to support access to small amounts of capital.

Her story brings together a stronger livelihood, employment for others, education for children and a growing voice for women.

Oyiborume Paul: Building participation through party organising

For Oyiborume Paul, the pathway into leadership developed through political organising. Following his participation in Youths Can Lead, he became a staunch member of the youth arm of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His contribution also extended to encouraging others to learn. The Delta State Book of Stories records that he introduced Faith Ayomanor to the programme and encouraged her to attend. She subsequently established a clothing and cosmetics business and became actively involved in politics.

Oyiborume’s story illustrates how one beneficiary can extend a programme’s reach. Through party involvement and encouragement of a fellow young person, he helped create opportunities for participation beyond himself.

Bayelsa: Challenging exclusion and organising communities

Ato Ebibofayei: Finding the courage to contest

Ato Ebibofayei travelled from Aghoro community in Ekeremor Local Government Area to attend the April 2018 training. When she learned that available spaces were filled, she offered to meet her own expenses so she could participate.

A woman and single mother with experience in government, she wanted to make a deeper contribution but had been uncertain how to proceed. After the training, she resigned her government appointment and pursued a Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform.

She did not win. Her testimony nevertheless records a significant breakthrough: becoming the first woman to purchase a nomination form and contest for the Ekeremor Constituency III seat. Through subsequent media appearances and engagements in schools and churches, she continued advocating women’s and youths’ political participation. Her story shows how preparation can strengthen the courage to challenge exclusion.

John Beatrice: Creating Kolga Babes

John Beatrice formed Kolga Babes, a group of 60 people, to sensitise youths and women in her hometown on political participation and electoral processes. Her response to the programme was to organise others. She created a platform through which people could learn, discuss participation, and recognise their place in public life.

One participant’s learning became an opportunity for a wider group. Her experience demonstrates how leadership development can produce benefits beyond those who attend the training.

Korobo Otonye Nathaniel: Securing a response from INEC

Korobo Otonye Nathaniel discovered that his community’s voters’ register had not been displayed before the 2019 elections. Drawing on his understanding of access to information, he engaged INEC. The Bayelsa report credits his intervention with getting the register published and displayed, enabling community members to participate.

He identified a problem, approached the responsible institution and pursued a remedy. His story demonstrates leadership through informed civic action.

Preparing the generation that will shape the region

The programmes did not remove every obstacle confronting Niger Delta youths. Employment, finance and access to political opportunities remain difficult for many. They did create opportunities that beneficiaries could use: practical experience, guidance on enterprise, knowledge of political processes and the confidence to address community needs.

The PIND experience demonstrates the importance of connecting leadership education with mentorship and workplace exposure. The Ford-supported stories show how preparation can translate into enterprise, community service, electoral participation and legislative responsibility.

For Centre LSD, these journeys strengthen the case for sustained investment. Training needs to be followed by opportunities to practise, access to mentors and support for inclusive participation.

The Niger Delta needs young people who can build livelihoods, organise around shared needs and approach public responsibility with knowledge and purpose.

A region that commands so much attention for the wealth beneath its soil must give equal attention to the people living above it. Preparing its youths to lead is part of preparing the Niger Delta for the future it deserves.

Monday Osasah is the Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD).