Leadership Formation Programme · Nigeria

We don't
train
leaders.
We form
them.

If you've ever felt like there's more in you than the world around you has made room for — keep reading. This was written for you.

"He showed me: behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand." — Amos 7:7

11

Per Company

3

Residential Days

1

Standard: You

Before We Say Anything Else

We think we know a few things
about where you are right now.

We've spent years sitting across from young people just like you — in classrooms, in church halls, in late-night conversations after everyone else has gone home. So before we tell you what The Adari is, let us tell you what we already see.

Most Nights

You lie awake replaying a conversation where you had something important to say — and you said nothing, because you weren't sure it was your place yet.

At Work, At School, At Church

People keep telling you that you're "a natural leader." You smile and say thank you. But inside, you're wondering — leader of what? Toward where?

The Honest Part

You've started something before — a group, a project, an idea — and watched it lose steam halfway, not because the idea was weak, but because you weren't ready to carry it yet.

When You're Alone With Your Thoughts

You look at the people running things in your community, your state, your country — and somewhere quiet inside you, a voice says: "I could do this better. I could do this right."

Here's What We Believe Is True About You

You are not lazy. You are not lost.
You are unformed.

There is a difference between a person who lacks potential and a person who has never been given a real chance to grow into theirs. We meet talented, brilliant, deeply caring young people every week who carry something heavy and beautiful inside them — and nobody has ever sat them down and said, "Let's build the person who can carry that."

That's the gap The Adari was built to close. Not training you for the room. Building the person who's ready to walk into it.

Most leadership programmes teach you what to say in a meeting, how to write a proposal, how to win an argument. We start somewhere earlier and somewhere deeper — with who you actually are, underneath the title you're hoping to one day hold.

A Word From the Man Who Started This

I built this because
I lived without it.

2019
The year I left Lagos for Kwara State, not knowing it would change the entire direction of my life and work.
30
Secondary schools I walked into across Ogun State, talking to students about leadership before I fully understood what I was building toward.
37+
Months I have spent running entrepreneurship and leadership training for young people in Ilorin, without missing a single one.
"

I failed standardized exams more than once before life finally pushed me out of Lagos and into Kwara State. At the time, it felt like the ground had given way beneath me. I had no language for what I was going through — I just knew I wasn't where I expected to be, and I didn't know who I was supposed to become next.

What I needed in that season wasn't another motivational speech. I'd heard plenty. What I needed was someone to sit with me and ask the harder questions — who are you when the plan fails? What are you still carrying, even now? What is this season trying to build in you? Nobody asked me those questions. I had to find the answers the long, slow, expensive way.

Since then, I've spent years in classrooms, on stages, in community halls — watching the same story repeat itself in different faces. Brilliant young people, full of fire, with nobody helping them deal with what's actually happening inside them. We hand them frameworks and slogans, and wonder why so many still burn out, sell out, or simply give up on the very calling that once kept them awake at night.

The Adari is the room I wish someone had built for me back then. It's not a stage for performance. It's a quiet, honest space where a small group of us look at each other — and at ourselves — and do the unglamorous work of becoming who we were actually made to be.

Oluwatoba Akolade
Founder, The Adari · President, TEPA Africa
How We Build You

Six things we work on.
One whole person at the end.

None of these are subjects you study from a textbook. They're parts of you we help you grow — slowly, honestly, on purpose.

🪞
Knowing Who You Are

Finding the version of you that exists before any title — and learning to stay that person, even after you get one.

⚖️
Doing Right When No One's Watching

The quiet habits and decisions that hold a leader together — especially on the days nobody is applauding you for it.

🧭
Making Good Decisions

Learning to think clearly under pressure, and to choose what's right over what's easy or popular.

🏛️
Understanding How Things Work

A real, working grasp of policy and governance — not to play the game better, but to actually fix what's broken.

🗣️
Speaking With Honesty and Courage

Saying true things in rooms that would rather you stay quiet — and learning to do it with grace, not just volume.

🌍
Leading for the Long Run

Building the kind of life and leadership that still means something ten, twenty, fifty years from now.

A Quick, Honest Check

This might be for you if...

People around you already sense leadership in you, even though you haven't quite stepped into it yet
Something in your community, school, or country genuinely bothers you — and you can't just look away from it
You're between 18 and 35, and you sense your real work in the world hasn't fully started yet
You're tired of programmes that hand you a certificate but never actually change you
You'd rather hear a hard truth about yourself than another compliment that doesn't really mean anything
You believe your life has a purpose bigger than comfort, and you're ready to start building toward it
What Actually Happens

Three days away from
everything. For everything to change.

You can't become a different person in a Saturday morning seminar where everyone goes home by lunch. Real change needs space — time to eat together, talk late into the night, and be honest in a way your normal schedule never allows.

Day One
The Mirror
"Who are you, really?"

We start by helping you see yourself clearly — the good, the gifted, and the parts you usually keep hidden. This is where real growth begins.

Day Two
The Furnace
"What are you being made for?"

The deepest day. We talk about the real cost of leading well, and you get to put words to the thing you've been carrying — maybe for years.

Day Three
The Sending
"Now go and be who you've become."

You leave with a clear personal promise to yourself, people who will hold you to it, and a room full of others walking the same road.

"Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful."

— 1 Corinthians 4:2 · The standard every Adari leader is formed toward

One Step

Only 11 people will sit
in this first room.

The Adari Company 1 — Kwara State — is open now. We're not looking for the most polished applicant. We're looking for the most honest one. If something in this page made you feel a little exposed, a little seen — that's usually a good sign.

Application Form · Company 1 · Kwara State
11 Places Only
2026 Cohort
Before You Start

Just be honest.
That's all we're asking.

This form has 4 short sections. There's no need for big words or perfect grammar — we just want to hear from the real you. It should take about 20 minutes if you take your time and answer from the heart.

One small requestFind a quiet 20 minutes before you begin. You can't save and come back later, so it's best to start when you're not in a rush.

01About You
02Your Story
03Someone Who Knows You
04Last Step
Section One

A Little About You

Just the basics. Nothing tricky here.

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter a valid email
Please enter your phone number
Must be between 18 and 35
Please select an option
Please select your state
Please tell us what you do
Please select an option
1 of 4
Section Two

Your Story

A few simple questions about you and where you want to make a difference. Write the way you'd talk to a friend.

Please pick at least one
1

What's one problem around you that really bothers you — the kind you can't just ignore?

It can be in your school, your street, your state, anywhere. Just tell us what it is and why it bothers you. A few honest sentences is enough.

0 / 400
Please write a short answer (at least a few sentences)
2

If nothing was stopping you — no money, no fear, no "what will people say" — what's one thing you'd start or build?

Dream a little here. We want to know what's been sitting quietly in your heart.

0 / 400
Please write a short answer
2 of 4
Section Three

Someone Who Knows You

Give us one person who knows you well and can vouch for you — a pastor, a mentor, a teacher, a boss. We'll reach out to them.

Please enter their name
Please select an option
Please enter a valid email
Please enter their phone number
3 of 4
Section Four

One Last Thing

Just one more question, then a quick promise, and you're done.

3

In your own words — why do you want to be part of The Adari?

No need to impress us. Just tell us the truth.

0 / 400
Please write a short answer

Before You Submit

This is a real commitment, not just a form. If you're picked, you'll spend three full days away from home, fully present, no exceptions.

Everything shared in that room stays in that room — what you hear from others is theirs to keep private.

Please tick all three boxes below to confirm you understand and agree.

Please tick all three boxes to continue
Please type your name
4 of 4

Got it. Thank you.

We've received what you wrote, and we mean it when we say — thank you for being honest with us. That matters more than you know.

Our team will go through every single application carefully. You'll hear from us within 21 days. Whatever the answer turns out to be, please don't stop moving. What you're carrying didn't start with us, and it doesn't need our permission to keep growing.



Company 1 · Kwara State
Applications Dashboard · 2026 Cohort
OA
Oluwatoba Akolade
Lead Facilitator
Slots Remaining
11
of 11 available
Total Applications
0
received so far
Shortlisted
0
under consideration
Selected
0
Company members
All Applications
Ref No.Full NameAgeStateInterestAppliedStatusActions
No applications yet. Share the link and watch this table fill up.
DEMO MODE · Applications submitted via the form will appear here in real time during this session