What if the leadership crisis we complain about isn’t a mystery to solve, but a field to cultivate? On September 6, 2025, Dr. Tunde Bakare planted the first seed of a different future; not with slogans, but with a program designed to grow principled, capable nation-builders. Citadel School of Government is not another think-tank or sermon series; it’s an institutional answer to the question: how do we prepare leaders who can actually govern? 

Dr. Bakare’s journey toward founding CSG reads like a map of conviction turned into strategy. The idea didn’t spring up overnight; it matured through decades of personal trials, prophetic moments, civic interventions, and practical collaborations. Rooted in the conviction that spiritual faith alone cannot restore a nation, Citadel School of Government aims to bridge the gap between moral formation and practical governance. That bridge is built on three pillars: the public sector, the private sector, and the social sector, and it’s meant to move people between those spheres with purpose and competence. 

CSG’s approach is deliberately practitioner-driven. Instead of ivory-tower abstraction, the school offers a blend of policy, practice, networks, and rigor. Partnering with the University of Lagos Business School, CSG pairs academic excellence with real-world public governance networks and incubatory think-tank work. The result? A programme that prepares participants for actual roles in governance, whether they come from the civil service, the private sector, or civic organisations. 

Seventy pioneers were inducted into the Advanced Diploma in Public Leadership and Statecraft. That number matters less than what it represents: a deliberate, visible first step toward producing leaders who reject greed and corruption, embrace service, and possess the capacity to shape policy and institutions. Dr. Bakare’s message to them was clear — expect a rigorous nine months and the opening of pathways to public leadership that will continue long after the certificate is stamped. 

There are three reasons CSG is timely, and potentially transformational:

1. Leadership Is the Central Challenge. Repeated civic engagements over decades confirmed the same lesson for the founder: weak leadership is at the root of institutional decay. Training leaders matters more than critique. 
2. Bridging Sectors Broadens Impact. By moving talent between private, public, and social sectors, CSG aims to reduce the leadership vacuum and create a flow of expertise into governance. 

Practical Training Meets Academic Rigor. The ULBS partnership ensures that practice is undergirded by scholarship, while CSG’s networks provide the real-world labs where theory is tested and leadership deployed.

Dr. Bakare invoked the wisdom of statesmen to remind the pioneers that leadership is learned and that the philosophy we teach today shapes the government of tomorrow — a sentiment he reinforced using quotes from John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. More than nostalgia, these references underscore a practical truth: nation-building requires long-term thinking. Citadel School of Government is intended to be a seed that grows into institutions, policies, and people who will outlast any one political season.

CSG is already planning practical access routes for wider audiences: short, intensive courses for busy executives, and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to democratize access to the school’s curriculum. These moves show a clear intent to scale impact while safeguarding the depth and quality of training for in-person cohorts. 

If you are tired of complaint without design, of rhetoric without capacity, or of leaders who prioritise self over service, the Citadel School of Government offers a concrete alternative: learn, serve, and lead with competence and character. Whether you are a public servant looking to sharpen your craft, a private-sector leader considering a transition to public life, or a citizen hungry for institutional transformation, CSG’s model gives you a pathway to make that transition effective.

Join the movement. Enroll, partner, support, or simply follow the journey. If you want to be part of a generation that builds a Nigeria that works — not in election cycles but in enduring institutions — start here: learn from the pioneers, and help turn the seed planted on September 6, 2025, into the forest our nation needs. 

Ready to be a nation-builder? Visit the Citadel School of Government to explore programmes, partnerships, and opportunities to participate, and share this post with someone who should be in that pioneer classroom tomorrow.