Higher Education remains the essential foundation for any meaningful effort at national rebirth and regeneration in Nigeria. As pointed out by Arab proverb that said “in every head there is some wisdom”, and “what comes from the lips reaches the ears, what comes from the heart reaches the heart”, therefore the development of our higher education institutions would have a major impact on the cultural and socio-economic transformation of the nation. Infact the Sokoto Caliphate is predicated on the firm belief that knowledge constitutes a necessary ingredient for effective leadership and good governance. Leaders must not only be educated and knowledgeable but must also be guided by knowledge and understanding to manage, efficaciously, the affairs of the citizenry as Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio stated as far back as 1804: A person without learning is like a country without inhabitants. The finest qualities in a governor, in particular and in people in general, are the love of learning, the desire to listen to it and holding the bearers of knowledge in great respect… on the other hand, if the governor is devoid of learning, he follows his whims and leads his people astray, like a riding beats with no halter, wandering off the path and perhaps spoiling what it passes on. This presentation is set out to highlight key issues around leadership, higher education and the challenges of development in Nigeria. The presentation focusses on higher education and development, vision and consensus, science and technology, the imperative of adequate funding, character-building and leadership development.