Academy for Governance Launches Veterans Programme in Abuja

Targets national rebirth through wisdom of elders, youth mentorship, and productivity reform

By Abdullahi Yusuf

The Academy for Governance, a strategic civil society initiative championing the vision of a “Greater Nigeria and of good people,” on Thursday launched its Veterans Special Programme at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, in what organisers described as a bold step towards national reawakening, structured mentorship, and civic restoration.

Welcoming guests to the historic gathering, Maisie Madu, representing the Academy, described the initiative as “the beginning of the greatness of Nigeria,” reiterating that the Academy was founded by Professor Austin Uwandulu and currently headed by Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Gaddafi, both of whom envisioned a Nigeria where no citizen is left behind and all are occupationally engaged.

“The Academy operates through two strategic arms: an academic programme focused on governance, leadership, and enterprise; and a special programme wing which includes the Veterans, Icons, Champions, Consortium, Vocational, and Think Tank initiatives,” Madu said.

She noted that Thursday’s event marked the official unveiling of the Veteran Programme, which focuses on engaging the country’s nonagenarians and centenarians as moral compasses and societal stabilisers in a nation grappling with fractured values.

Delivering his address on the theme “Strengthening Nigeria’s State of Preparedness for Greatness and of Good People,” Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Gaddafi declared that the era of merely dreaming about Nigeria’s greatness must give way to intentional preparedness and structural reform.

“We are not here to complain, oppose, or politicise. We are here to declare that Nigeria can be great again, but only through structured productivity, civic mentorship, and moral preparedness,” he said.

He stressed that Nigeria’s core problem is chronic low productivity, not a lack of talent or resources.

“When hands are idle, talents wasted, and ideas trapped in frustration, a nation cannot rise, no matter how brilliant its policies may sound,” he warned.

He explained that the Veterans Programme is structured to re-integrate Nigeria’s elderly, specifically those aged 80 and above, as mentors, culture bearers, and moral anchors for younger generations.

“A nation without memory is a nation without direction. We must return to the concept of ‘vicarious fatherhood’ where elders actively guide societal conscience, not merely retire into irrelevance,” Gaddafi said.

While acknowledging the visible fatigue and frustration among the country’s youth, Dr. Gaddafi rejected the common narrative of blaming young people for national decline.

“Our youth are not Nigeria’s problem. They are its hope. But today, they are not just angry, they are exhausted,” he said.

“We must raise them first to hopelessness, then to hope, and finally, to national renewal.”

According to him, the programme aims to bridge this gap through structured mentorship from veterans, strategic civic training, and value-based leadership development.

Reaffirming the Academy’s neutrality, Gaddafi stressed that the initiative is not aligned with any political party or government faction.

“We are not fighting government. We are complementing it — unorthodoxly — through productivity, structure, and purpose,” he said.

He also unveiled the Academy’s academic track, which includes courses in Strategic Leadership, Proper Governance, Generic Strategy, and Enterprise Building; and its special programme trackdesigned to address weak institutions, identity crises, and social apathy.

As the event drew to a close, Gaddafi delivered a stirring call to national responsibility, urging Nigerians to reject cynicism and embrace structural action.

“Let history record that on this day — July 31, 2025 — Nigeria chose purpose over politics, structure over slogans, and greatness over despair,” he declared.

“We believe greatness begins with people, not just policies. And prepared people make great nations.”

In Attendance were serving ministers, ex Ministers, retired and Serving high ranking Government officials, wives of former Nigerian Service Chiefs and experts from different management fields of human endeavours.

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