Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigeria needs policies designed to extend beyond electoral cycles to fix its myriad of challenges.
Obasanjo said Nigerian leaders must think strategically and have long-term foresight in designing policies.
The elder statesman spoke virtually on Tuesday at the Second Bi-Annual Honours Awards & Dinner of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy & Strategic Studies, Lagos chapter, held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja.
Obasanjo, who received the Special Recognition Award at the event, said he was proud to see many illustrious alumni who had emerged from the institute and the contributions they had made to the mission of the organisation.
He urged the audience and leaders to serve as mentors and catalysts for the next generation.
“Invest time in young Nigerians. Build their capacity, teach them ethical leadership and encourage their participation in public offices.
Strengthen institutions and not necessarily personalities. True progress is achieved when institutions are resilient, transparent and accountable.
“Be a voice for unity, inclusive development and peaceful democratic practice. Where there is division, use your training to mediate and to build bridges.”
Obasanjo thanked the institute for the recognition.
“May the event be successful, and may the institute continue to produce the wise, courageous and committed leaders our country so badly needs. May God bless you all and bless Nigeria,” he added.
While speaking, the Chairman, AANI Lagos, Omolara Balogun, said the event aimed at recognising those who had gone “above and beyond the call of duty” to exemplify what the institute’s mission reflected.
According to her, this year’s award “comes at a time of profound global and local changes, bringing to the fore the need to put a searchlight on policy, public service, and personal responsibilities to actualise the changes we seek as a sovereign.”
Balogun said, “Building a better society is the ultimate goal of governance, and our founding fathers reasoned that one of the ways to achieve that goal was to create a national institute that would bring together, every year, proven leaders in the society from the armed forces, intelligence, public service, private sector, academia, professional bodies and civil society to work together on moving us from a country towards an equitable nation where the divisions that exist are worked on, and better approaches for becoming a nation are forged.
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