By Shakirudeen Bankole
In every generation, there comes a quiet revolution one that doesn’t always make headlines, but changes everything.
Sometimes, it begins not with protest, agitation, violence, or power struggle but with belief.
The reorientation of the mindset to assume the totality of it spiritual supremacy and psychological awakening – leading to self-conviction and believe to do and amounts to more.
At HAVEK Academy, a silent revolution on leadership grooming has been ongoing.
The leadership and management institution is one of the subsidiaries of the pace-setting Socio-religious Islamic Organisation Nasrul-Lah-iL-Fatih Society (NASFAT). HAVEK Academy is dedicated to the cause of social development through an important intervention on the reinforcement of the nation’s human capital resource and utilisation.
As the institution concludes plans to unveil the 2025 Cohorts of its First Class Mentorship Programme Fellowship, it has become imperative to remove the veil on the strategic importance of this national programme, particularly with focus on how the last edition unfolded.
To start with, Kiin Media’s investigation revealed that the existing gaps created by the prolonged dealt of skilled workforce in the country, and more worrisome, the lack of the utilisation of the available ones, have still not been filled.
The current statistics on the national rate of unemployment gives this deficiency away easily.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2024 is 4.3%, which translates to approximately 9,870,000 unemployed individuals. This figure includes those who have lost jobs and recent labor force entrants.
Hence the necessity for the HAVEK Academy’s annual leadership mentorship programme, aimed at addressing the exisiting leadership, skills and productivity crisis in the country, according to the organisers.
From the last edition, HAVEK had galvanized Nigeria’s brilliant minds from across the country’s higher citadels of learning – first-class graduates – for a six month intense drilling on leadership and personal integrity.
The institution believes that the young intellectuals deserve more than just the their degree certificates, but a chance to lead, build, and join the ongoing efforts to transform the world around them .
This position has become expedient especially in the light of the negligible treatments and continued failure of the system to properly harness the potentials of many of its brightest minds, leading to brain drain otherwise known as Japa.
The World Bank’s latest data shows that 98milllion Nigerians are poor and may be living in multidimensional poverty.
Mutimonetional poverty indicate the totality of socio economic, and financial vulnerability of a people, including their deprived access to social amenities like electricity, good healthcare system, water, good roads, and affordable and quality healthcare system.
According to the global apex bank, the definition of the word poverty is as heartbreaking as ever – living below $1/$2 a day.
Kiin Media can report that the Nigeria’s socioeconomic problem is a complex one, but aside from policy formulation and implementation, and the Political Will to rightly wield them through, the production, optimal utilisation, and retention of human capital resource is the next important equation to unlock the country’s wealth mystery.
This is exactly what the HAVEK intervention hopes to achieve.
“The HAVEK First Class Mentorship Programme was born out of a simple but powerful belief: young people, especially those with outstanding academic achievements, deserve more than just a degree they deserve a pathway to becoming impactful leaders in society,” the General Manager of HAVEK, Alhaji AbdulWasiu Ayoola, the General Manager of Havek, explained.
AbdulWasiu said through the leadership mentorship programme, HAVEK has successfully created a space where the country’s brilliant young minds, particularly first-class graduates from diverse fields, converge, interact, hone their skills, deepen their knowledge, and build the values and character needed to lead with purpose and vision.
“The programme, launched in May 2024, began with an open call to first-class graduates from a variety of disciplines ranging from engineering, agriculture, education, and medicine, to the humanities and arts. The selection process was rigorous, looking beyond academic achievements to identify individuals with passion, purpose, and a strong moral compass,” he explained.
After public announcement of he programme, over 300 applications responded with irresistible applications and credentials, which culminated into a pruning process that reduced the numbers to 100 finalists.
“The 100 talented individuals were chosen, not just for their academic success, but for their readiness to grow and contribute meaningfully to society,” the HAVEK GM told Kiin360.
According to him, the next six months were about more than just classroom learning, as it featured intense creative ,abstract thinking and problem solving.
“The programme immersed the participants in masterclasses and hands-on workshops, led by renowned scholars, professionals, and thought leaders from around the world.
“The focus was on more than just knowledge rather on equipping these young leaders with the skills, emotional intelligence, and spiritual grounding they needed to navigate complex challenges and lead with integrity,” he said.
The training sessions included leadership training, ethical decision-making, project management, research, and personal development.
The mentees also learned how to cultivate confidence, manage projects, and work collaboratively. They also explored important questions about their roles as Muslim leaders in a rapidly changing world.
“At HAVEK, success is measured not just by the completion of assignments or the ability to pass exams, but by the development of core leadership qualities, resilience, and ethical decision-making. Participants were carefully monitored and evaluated not just for their intellectual progress but for their character and commitment to growth.
“The result was a certification rate of 70%, a reflection of the high standards set by the programme and the participants’ dedication to their own growth, AbdulWasiu, the HAVEK GM, revealed.
Acknowledging the various experiences garnered during the intense leadership mentorship programme, HAVEK recalled that some of the mentees required more time, while a small number did not meet the final criteria, despite all being given the tools to improve, reflect, and continue their journey toward excellence.
“The impact of the programme has already been felt. Many of the graduates have transitioned into meaningful roles across various sectors. Some are interning in key industries such as banking, consulting, and technology, while others have earned postgraduate scholarships, both locally and internationally.
“The diversity of career paths is a testament to the programme’s holistic approach to nurturing future leaders,” he added.
In their remarks, the duos of Qodri Mayokun, a First Class Graduate from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Zainab Olaide, another first class graduate of Biochemistry from the Ibrahim Gbadamosi University, said the impact of the six months programme has prepared them to be more purposeful and selfless.
According to Mayokun, the mentorship programme has provided a structured environment where individual can develop their leadership skills through guidance from successful mentors who have seen it all.
“And the practical application of this training has made me to gain more visibility among my peers, as my conducts and approach are often non-conventional and from a problem-solving spectrum,” he said.
For Olaide, “the programme has exposed me to a lot on leadership. From.strategic thinking to effective communication, which would help me.inspire and guide others in their journeys.
“One of the highpoints of the mentorship programme was the opportunity to connect with successful and great leaders around the world,, and the opportunity of learning from them how they made it,” she added.
CALL FOR COLLABORATION
HAVEK stressed that
the future of Nigeria, and indeed the world, depends on nurturing the next generation of leaders—leaders who are not only skilled but deeply committed to ethical leadership and societal impact.
“Therefore, we invite those who share in this vision whether within academic institutions, professional networks, or community organizations to join in supporting the next generation of leaders. Whether through mentorship, sharing knowledge, or simply encouraging others to get involved, every contribution helps create a ripple effect of growth, learning, and transformation in the next cohort starting July 2025,” she solicited