The School of Politics, Policy & Governance, (SPPG) has held its graduation ceremony for 133 students for the 2022 academic year in Abuja Nigeria as part of efforts to produce the next generation leaders with disruptive thinking.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo, said the institution was designed to transform the quality of political and public leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
She disclosed that the 2022 graduating class comprised 133 students who underwent 10 intensive months of training and learning.
“For the class of 2022, there are about 133 students graduating. The pioneer class was 160 and they have gone through 10 intensive months of training and learning. They studied 140 topics, seven thematic areas. Research shows that there were certain gaps in the knowledge base of lots of public leaders.”
“So, this is our own contribution in building the knowledge base of future leader’s and we are very pleased that we have 133 graduates.
“A lot of them are already doing great work. They are already community organisers serving at the community level and recruiting individuals that have the potential to be part of our community. We also have among them at least three that scale through the primaries conducted by parties.
“Our 10 months course stretches and strengthens one’s leadership capacity and our students who were aspirants demonstrate that what we are teaching is not just possible but we have people who are running the race already”.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Education/Founder, SPPG, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has linked the root cause of Nigeria’s leadership problem to distorted political culture where leaders place personal interests above public good.
According to her, there must be a change of mindset by leaders to tackle the growing economy and security challenges in the country.
Ezekwesili, who is also the founder of SPPG, observed that character, competence and capacity were the missing links in producing good leaders in the African continent.
She, therefore, stressed the need for disruptive thinking in the nation’s political space.
Former United States Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton, in a short video message, stressed the need for Nigerians to vote during elections, noting that participating in electioneering activities would strengthen the nation’s democracy.
The best graduating students are Joyce Daniels- female and Musa Ali Baba- male.
At the 2022 graduation ceremony of the SPPG with the theme: “Designing Our Global Future with Africa in Mind” held in Abuja, were Chairman, FATE Foundation, Fola Adeola, former Minister of Information & Culture, Frank Nweke Jr., , US Ambassador to Nigeria among others.
