Executive Assistant on New Media and Public Relations to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Olusegun Fafore has charged Nigerians to actively rise up and take charge of their constitutional responsibilities in their quest for excellent leadership toward Nigeria’s sustainable democracy.
He made the charge while delivering his keynote address on
Sunday, titled: Excellent Leadership: A Bedrock For Sustainable Democracy
during the 2023 edition of the Annual Otunba Bola Adewunmi [OBA] Leadership
Summit commemorating the 66th Founder’s Day Anniversary of the JCI Lagos
Metropolitan held at in Lagos.
JCI Lagos Metropolitan popularly known as ‘’The Doyen’’
celebrated its Annual OBA Leadership Summit in honour of its founder, Otunba
Robert Bolaji Adewunmi, a former Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Government in
furtherance of the chapter’s commitment to the vision and ideals of the
visionary leader.
During the event, Fafore who was the keynote speaker at the
Annual Leadership Summit charged Nigerians to wake up to their constitutional
responsibilities as catalysts for excellent leadership in a sustainable
democracy while citing the requisite constitutional provision which clearly
justifies the same as entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria as amended [1999] in Section 14, [2a] which proclaimed that
‘’Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through the
Constitution derives all its powers and authority’’, to validate his charge.
Commenting further, the keynote speaker quoted sub-sections
2b and 2c respectively which state that: ‘’the security and welfare of the
people shall be the primary purpose of government and the participation of the
people in their government shall be ensured.’’
‘’To achieve sustainable democracy, we must understand that
there is more to democracy than elections and voting. The fact that a nation
chooses its leaders through the ballot box does not necessarily translate to
democracy, he asserted.
He further listed imperatives required towards attaining
sustainable democracy smoothened by leadership discipline, and compliance with
certain tenets which include; the sovereignty of the people, majority rule and
minority rights, the rule of law and good governance, respect for civil an
political rights, mass literacy, economic prosperity, social development, free
press and an independent judiciary amongst others.
In his admonition, he asserted that when these conditions
are prevalent in society, sustainable democracy is attainable. However, he
reiterated that the people on whose part the political leaders, elected
leaders, state actors and non-state actors who derive their powers from the
majority are a very crucial component in the delivery of good governance and
sustainable democracy.
Similarly, JCIN Ambassador Busayo Adegoke, the 2023
President of JCI Lagos Metropolitan, as well as JCIN Ambassador Abdullahi
Attairu, Special Guest and the 2023 National President of JCI Nigeria in their
separate remarks, eulogized the founder of the JCI in Nigeria, Otunba Adewunmi
for his visionary foresightedness.
According to Adegoke, ‘’Otunba Bola Adewunmi’s visionary
efforts paved the way for the growth of the JCI movement in Nigeria and beyond
while admonishing Nigerians to continue to work together to find sustainable
solutions to our nation’s developmental challenges in spite of our tribe,
religion and diverse opinions by continuing to strive to thrive in our
diversity by leveraging on our strengths and weaknesses.’’
In his own remark, Attairu admonished young active Nigerians
within the JCI to continue to champion the ideals of the founder while he also
charged them to continue to propagate the 2023 theme of ‘’Be the Story’’ in
line with the legacies of the founder and successive leaders of JCI Lagos
Metropolitan as well as of the organization in its entirety.
The high point of the event was the Panelists’ Session which
had erudite discussants who shared their thoughts on the theme of the summit.
These included: Dr. Abayomi Ojekunle, a Leadership Coach, Mrs. Adetutu Afolabi,
Co-Founder, Hazon Holdings, Mr. Olubunmi Oluwadare, Founder, of Unipreneur
Entrepreneurship, DSC. Oluwaseun Abolurin, Public Relations Officer, Nigerian
Civil Defence and Security Corps while the session was moderated by Chioma
Ukpabi, Executive Director, SkillUp with Kahdsole.
Other special guests at the event included Mr. Ayo Wuraola,
Chief Executive Officer, Leadway Pensions, Mr. Olalekan Otun, Chairman, Minds
& Brains Limited, Mr. Adebayo Adeoshun, Principal, RZKG, Mr. Anthony Ude,
Senior Manager, AxaMansard, Mr. Adeyemo Adeonipekun, Executive Secretary, JCI
Nigeria, Mr. Oluwasiji Oyebolu, Mr. Deji Akinwande, Mrs. Wunmi Akinwande, and
Mrs. Lolade Dairo, all Past President of JCI Lagos Metropolitan. Others include
Dr. Adewale Oshinaike, the Director of International Affairs for JCI Nigeria,
Mr. Ajibola Bakare, Executive Assistant to the 2023 National President, Mr.
Leke Odubote, Executive Vice President, South-West, JCI Nigeria, as well as Local
Organisation presidents of sister chapters which included JCIN Ambassador Idara
Michael, President, JCI Lagos Coral, JCIN Ambassador Olajide Oladipo,
President, JCIIbadan, amongst other presidents of other local organizations,
the Executive Board and members of the host chapter, JCI Lagos Metropolitan and
other members of sister chapters across Nigeria.
It was such a moment of history that validated the
excellence tradition and pioneering status of the JCI Lagos Metropolitan even
as encomiums poured in relentlessly for the JC Kikelomo Owoyale committee for
their delivery of a qualitative 2023 edition of the Annual Summit, an event
that was broadcasted live with a recorded viewership of audiences that cuts
across both the JCI circle of external participants and beyond.
JCI Senator [Otunba] Bola Adewunmi, the founder of the
Nigerian Jaycees imported the Jaycee into Nigeria and the Sub-Saharan African
soil in 1957 while he was on a six-month exchange programme under the
International Educational Exchange programme of the United States government as
an attaché of the Courier-Post in Camden, New Jersey while attending a Press
Conference at the White House in Washington given by President Dwight
Eisenhower; and also observing a proceeding of the United Nations Assembly in
New York in 1956.
While in the United States, he became a member of the United
States Junior Chamber of Commerce International [JCI], and upon his return to
Nigeria in 1957, he founded the Nigerian Chapter of the Junior Chamber
International.
0 comments:
Post a Comment