Sam Onuigbo, a former member of the House of Representatives, says the erosion of societal values is leaving Nigerian youths unprepared for leadership. He made the point during an appearance on Nigerian Television, speaking on the theme 'Mentorship: Nigeria Happened to Me.' According to him, deliberate mentoring and parental guidance, backed by a wider ethical reorientation, are what raise responsible leaders. Young people, in his view, absorb shortcuts and cynicism from the environment around them rather than the discipline public life demands. He called on older politicians and professionals to invest real time in mentoring instead of treating young people as tools for mobilisation. Parents, he added, cannot outsource character formation entirely to schools or religious institutions. His remarks fold into a wider national argument about why so many able young Nigerians drift away from public service.