IBRAHIM QUADRI
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat has said that for Nigeria to overcome its challenges and move forward, men and women of integrity should be voted amd appointed into leadership positions and create visions for the country.
Hazmat spoke as the theme Speaker on the topic, ‘The Responsibility of Leadership: Shaping The Future With Purpose And Action,’ on the second day of the Lagos Leadership Summit 2025, organized by the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, held in Lagos.
Hazmat lamented that Nigeria is plagued by several challenges, such as poverty, a substandard education system, among others that are caused by a deficit in quality leadership.
“The leadership deficit has been a clog in the wheel of national progress. The nation is plagued with copious poverty amidst great natural and human resources. There is squalor, an education system that is limited in scope and content, that often does not support the needs of the economy and a healthcare system limited in scope and effectiveness. There is a widening gap between the rich and the poor. All these hardly breed a society on a solid foundation,” Hazmat said.
He added: “Today, we have a nation that has not fully transcended the limit of claims to ethnicity and religious affiliations when national issues are discussed. When allegations of fraud are laid at the doorstep of many political leaders, the response is always political witch-hunting. We view appointments in critical offices as more reflective of tribal leaning than competence. We do not have a culture of resigning when faced with debilitating allegations against public officers.”
He noted that for Nigeria’s future to be secured, political and religious leaders must imbibe the culture of doing the right things.
“For the future of Nigeria to be strong and cemented, it has to deal with the question of creating structures and institutions, a culture of doing right, through which identified values can be available to all, regardless of status and primordial cleavages.
“The Nigerian leadership has its duties cut out for it. First, there is the need to build an enduring vision. We must make a nation of the country and make it transition from a geographical expression to a homogenous nation.
“As a nation, we are now sacrificing merit over and above these mandatory factors. Our country cannot grow that way. It is obvious that Nigeria requires a leadership that will manifest new traits. We need true statesmen whose claim to statesmanship is not just the length of time they spent holding public office or occupying political space but rather their contributions to the evolution of a strong and viable nation,” he added.
He further stated that political parties at different levels must have ”people imbued with vision, the capacity to attract and deploy human and material resources, and above all, they have to be men and women of high moral standing and integrity.
“It is only when we focus on being the best wherever we find ourselves that we can truly build that great nation of our dreams,” he stated.
Hazmat commended the Executive Secretary of Lateef Jakande, Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade for steering the ship of the academy and ”remaining steadfast, since its inauguration, in preparing the next generation of leadership within the Lagos State Public Service for the task ahead.”
While mentioning the progress of the academy, the Executive Secretary said graduates of the academy have now been employed in various fields, both in the private and public sectors.
She added that the academy has succeeded in producing young generations that will become future leaders.
For a better society
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