It was such an honour to serve as Guest Speaker at the 10th African FutureTrust Model United Nations (TAFMUN) Conference, held at the ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja, today.
The theme, āEmpowering Futures,ā resonated deeply with my message, āThe Leader Before the Title.ā Because empowering the future must begin with forming the people who will shape it.
My message was simple: before we aspire to positions of influence, we must first form the person who will carry that influence. Competence matters. Character matters. Courage matters. Alignment matters. And ultimately, leadership must be about service.
I congratulate all the delegates representing 111 countries, including my son, Mario, who represented the United States of America. It was inspiring to see young people engaging global issues, challenging assumptions, negotiating differences and preparing themselves not merely to become leaders, but nation-builders and global problem-solvers.
More importantly, I congratulate my dear sister, Dr. Mrs. Maureen Ifeyinwa Egbuche, the Convener, for sustaining this very impactful initiative over the years.
If we truly want to empower futures, we must begin by forming better leaders today.
The future is not built when the titles arrive. It is built in the formation that happens before the titles.
Congratulations to TAFMUN at 10, and to all the young people preparing to build the future.