Seni Adetu, Group CEO, First Primus West Africa, has emphasized that developing the next generation of leaders requires sustained investment in people, deliberate engagement strategies and a willingness to trust the process even when outcomes are uncertain.

Speaking at a media parley in Victoria Island on Tuesday, Adetu outlined practical approaches to nurturing emerging leaders, drawing from his three decades of corporate experience and 10 years of running his own organization.

Engagement as the Foundation for Retention

At the core of his leadership development philosophy is what he calls engagement, a deliberate effort to expose young professionals to knowledge, experiences and opportunities that extend beyond their immediate job functions.

“The difference between retention and attrition is what is called engagement. The more you engage your staff, the more you teach them to decide on retention.

The less you engage them, the more you teach them to decide on attrition. And engagement is some of the things that you do, not just the salaries.”

Leveraging Senior Leadership for Exposure

One of the key strategies Adetu employs is bringing reputable senior leaders and chief executives from major companies to spend time with staff every quarter.

Through this approach, these sessions consistently provide young professionals with insights they might not access elsewhere.

“Every quarter, religiously, we bring in a very reputable senior leader in the country, a CEO of a big company, to come and talk to our people and just share experience and just inspire them and just motivate them in their own way,” he explained.

“That’s the sort of knowledge that people probably would not get in most other places they work. We leverage our relationship with CEOs to bring them in. They spend an hour and just talk to our guys, everybody.”

Building Citizens, Not Just Employees

Adetu described this approach as creating what he calls citizens of an organization, people who feel so invested in the mission and values that they become ambassadors who cannot easily be lured away.

“We make people citizens almost. They can’t throw their passport away. The passport they have is a passport that has got our organization’s name on it.

So we make people citizens of the organization, just like you are a citizen of Nigeria. You don’t have a choice. You are stuck with Nigeria,” he said, using the analogy to describe deep organizational commitment.

International Exposure as a Leadership Tool

Beyond formal learning sessions, Adetu emphasized the importance of international exposure as part of leadership development.

In line with this thinking, his organization runs an annual program that takes 12 high performing staff members to South Africa, providing them with global perspectives and recognition for excellence.

Accepting the Cost of Talent Development

This investment in people, however, comes with challenges. Adetu acknowledged that developing talent in Nigeria’s competitive market means accepting that some of those you train will eventually leave for competitors or other opportunities.

“It’s been 10 years of training people, investing in them, and sometimes losing them to competitors,” he reflected. “But the key is to keep investing because the legacy you’re building depends on the people you develop.”

Trusting the Process and Preserving Legacy

He emphasized that leaders must trust themselves and the process, even when the immediate returns are not guaranteed.

“The key is trusting oneself to preserve the organization’s legacy,” he said, suggesting that sustained investment in people ultimately pays dividends even if individual beneficiaries move on.

Support Systems Beyond Salary

Adetu also spoke about the importance of practical support systems that demonstrate care for young professionals beyond monetary compensation.

In practical terms, simple interventions like providing transportation in a city like Lagos, where commuting from the mainland to the island presents daily challenges, can significantly impact engagement and loyalty.

Fast Decisions, Stronger Leaders

His approach to leadership development extends to decision-making structures. Adetu believes that empowering young leaders to make decisions quickly, without bureaucratic delays, builds confidence and competence.

“One of the reasons colleagues like working here is that the leader of the team is hands on. We make decisions very quickly. We don’t need to wait for anybody to make decisions. This team makes decisions,” he said, noting that this approach helps emerging leaders take ownership of outcomes.

Intentionality as the Defining Factor

The veteran executive, who spent 30 years at John Holt and Coca Cola before starting his own venture, emphasized that effective leadership development requires intentionality. Organizations must deliberately create environments where young professionals can learn, fail, recover and grow.

“If you are even a slow learner, in three years you should learn something. In 30 years, if you don’t learn, you need to drop a hammer on your head,” Adetu said, reflecting on how his own decades of learning shaped his approach to developing others.

Preparing Leaders, Not Just Professionals

He stressed that the next generation needs more than technical skills. They need exposure to strategic thinking, relationship building and the soft skills that distinguish good professionals from great leaders.

Ultimately, by bringing in external CEOs quarterly, providing international exposure through annual trips, creating quick decision-making environments and investing in practical support systems, Adetu has built a model for leadership development that recognizes young professionals as future industry leaders rather than just current employees.