Some aspiring individuals on Saturday 31st May, 2025 had an exclusive moment with Comrade Yakubu Cornelius popularly known as Guru. Although the interview was not planned nor structured, familiarity makes it a success.
Prior to that moment, Yakubu Cornelius is known for his desire in political analysis via his social media handles vis-a-vis group discussions and debates.
To sum up, the interview goes as follows;
Qst; Can you please, kindly introduce yourself..
Ans; Of course! My name is Yakubu Cornelius best known as Guru. I’m a purveyor of value, seeker of knowledge and man of enthusiasm.
Qst; Can you in two sentences explain what the three attributes connote about you because some might be confused…
Ans; well, by those three attributes I mean I’m a supplier of leadership values such as charismatic, honesty, integrity etc while also, I’m not perfect but ready to learn and relearn and when it comes to execution, I put in the effort of taking the action over just hallucinating.
Qst; Kindly tell us about your leadership antecedents so far to this present moment.
Ans; Well, my leadership journey argumentatively, encapsulates both from the flows of being born a leader, to a made-leadership, driven by vision, decisiveness, integrity & values. In other words; being born as the most senior (first born) in the family automatically makes me a leader. My younger ones look up to me to set a compass in terms of living an exemplary life, supporting, advising and ensuring their individualistic problems are unraveled..Those are some of the leadership qualities you can find anywhere. Secondly, during my primary school time, I was appointed as the Asst Head Boy of the school, going forward, apart from being elected as class prefect in secondary School, I was also selected by the school management as the Head Boy to oversee my fellow students.
At the tertiary level, I was elected as the Director Of Academics, National Association Of Political Science Students (NAPSS) in 2022/2023, and in same vein, I was also elected as the Secretary General, Faculty Of Social Science Students Association (FOSSSA) 2023/2024 academic sessions. Going away from the academy, other positions I held are; Vice President, Block Rosary Crusade at Queen of virgins Crusade, Provost Marshal, different minor groups leader at the grassroots and by God’s grace, more to come.
Those are clear indications of leadership made or nurtured because I primarily developed more skills of leadership through experience, education, and mentorship. I am always thrilled and inspired with the mentorship of Dr. Linus Okorie, MFR; His teachings had taught me to never stop learning, stay humble and continue diving in the routes of success.
In conclusion, I am not perfect in the leadership journey but am not adamant in submitting myself to learning. I shall continue learning everyday from my mistakes and other lessons of life.
Qst; So what can you say is your best moment in nurturing your leadership skills?
Ans; My best moment is when I sit in the midst of great men, diving and learning. In fact, during my tertiary level, my close friend could attest to the fact that I don’t miss most leadership seminars, campaigns, rallies or public lectures that bring great men together except I am not aware of such gatherings. But note; my best moment in leadership is when I serve the people diligently, effectively, and efficiently, seeing them being happy and building/raising more leaders among them.
Qst; At what age did you garnish those passions for leadership skills?
Ans; You see, the birth-leadership started from the time I was born and at that time, it was too early for me to garnish the passion but subsequently, when I reached the adolescent stage and I started knowing myself fully as someone who doesn’t stress but always seen and bestowed with positions, I later ignited the passion to continue from natural to nurturing those skills.
Qst; So what can you say inspires you to leadership?
Ans; My aspirations actually inspired me into leadership. I.e my hope for effective service-delivery, collective growth, and exigent passion to problem-solving. As a leader, I am not worthy of being treated like a master rather, I submit myself to be the servant of the people therefore, leading a community of men effectively.
Qst; In conclusion, what would be your last word?
Ans; My last word is for all to know that leadership is without impediment because humans are dynamic and at such, one must be decisive enough to unravel the issues with wisdom and profoundness.
By Yakubu CORNELIUS