Nigeria Need A New Leadership Culture

The vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said Nigeria needs a new culture of leadership.

He said while leadership is not the exclusive preserve of those privileged to be at the helm of affairs, true service should be the hallmark of effective leadership.

Osinbajo said this as the keynote speaker at Olashore International School Association (OISA) Foundation’s 10th memorial lecture in memory of Oba Oladele Olashore yesterday on Victoria Island in Lagos

The late Oba Oladele Olashore was the Owaloko of Iloko-Ijesha and founder of Olashore International School in Osun State

Osinbajo, who was represented by Mr. Dapo Akinosun (SAN), noted that the life and legacy of Oba Olashore represented an effective template for good leadership.

He said: “We cannot continue like before. We need a new culture of leadership in the country. We must limit leadership from encumbrances that affected it. Leadership is service. Service to others doesn’t diminish us; it enriches us. Service is a revolutionary act. Leaders don’t fall from the sky.

“Leadership is a character. It is not only within the purview of the privileged.”

The life and legacy of Oba Olashore provide a template for leadership through his strides in education and other areas.”

Osinbajo, who extolled the virtues of the late monarch, lauded the OISA Foundation for continuing his legacies with commitment.

He urged everyone to collaborate with the foundation to help Nigerians rise and realise their potentials.

In his lecture, titled: Public Service Aas the Best Form of Service: The Example of Oba Oladele Olashore, Co-Founder Guaranty Trust Bank PLC and Founder of FATE Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr. Fola Adeola, chided public office holders and public office aspirants for their lack of commitment to public good.

“There is too little service, too little commitment to the public good in our public office holders and aspirants. It is a failing that all of us are complicit in enabling. Because of it, it is no wonder that our society continues to be eluded by the dawn it so desperately needs,” he said.

The frontline banker paid tributes to Oba Olashore for his dedication to true service, saying other leaders should emulate him.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Dr. Joseph Sanusi, described the late monarch as a great and selfless leader.

Chairperson of OISA Foundation, Princess Olapeju Shofowora, said the lecture showcased what the deceased monarch stood for.

She said the country would be better if all devoted time to serving diligently and truthfull.