Kolade, Others Advocate Transformational Leadership to Boost Economy

Kolade, Others Advocate Transformational Leadership to Boost Economy

Rebecca Ejifoma

Experts like the former High Commissioner of Nigeria to UK, Dr. Christopher Kolade among others have said that adopting transformational leadership as against the prevailing mindset of transactional leadership will facilitate effective and sustainable reforms in the nation.

They stressed that rethinking leadership in Nigeria requires a change of mindset with comprehensive and meaningful reorientation for both those in leadership positions and the citizens.

This was the thrust at the 2nd National Leadership Dialogue Series (NLDS) the Nigerian Prize for Leadership under the chairmanship of Prof. Anya O. Anya, in partnership with 19 other Organisations organised.

The virtual series which was on the theme, “Rethinking Leadership: Competence, Governance, and Impact on Society”,

The Vice Chairman, Nigerian Prize for Leadership and Former High Commissioner of Nigeria to the UK, Kolade, said that a leader must possess a proven sense of responsibility and must have the ability to communicate with people, both by speaking and, especially, by listening.

He emphasised: “He must have the willingness to learn at every suitable opportunity, have courage to take and stand by tough decisions and make a firm commitment to best practice, good ethics, respectable values and standards in leadership performance.”

Speaking also, the CEO Emerging Africa Capital Group, Mrs. Toyin Sanni, representing Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ) harped on the need for citizens to interrogate people’s motives for seeking leadership positions.

She said: “Such motives must be driven by a sense of purpose, and the desire to create impact, not a mere hunger for power, greed, selfish and personal ambition.”

For Sanni, leaders in Nigeria should be measured by their dispensational ability towards the six cardinal Cs of leadership which are: competence, character, credibility, capacity, compassion, and courage.

“They should also be measured by their personal integrity, accountability, exemplary conduct,” she added.

While the Executive Director, Leap Africa, Mr. Femi Taiwo, highlighted that in rethinking leadership should engage in education for knowledge, character and responsibility; entertainment for redesigning, recreating, representing the Nigerian narrative; and experience.

“Leaders must be compelled to make themselves available for outreach and communication with their constituents. Such platforms should be transparent and used to empower citizens to effectively hold their leaders accountable,” she suggested.

He noted that the survival of Nigeria depended on good leaders who are committed to giving their all for the growth and development of the nation.

Taiwo added: “Nigeria’s leadership problem is not about absence of good leaders but ambushing and choking of available spaces by bad leaders to deny tested and competent leaders the opportunity to emerge.”

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