Institute inducts new members, seeks purposeful leadership

Professional Leadership Practitioners Institute has inducted new fellows into its fold while calling for purposeful leaders into various parastatals to set the country on the path of development.

Director General of the Institute, Dr Nathan Obasi, said this at the institute’s fellowship awards and luncheon, with lecture topic: “Emergent issues in contemporary leadership practice,” held at the University of Lagos.

He said the country is where it is today because of the leadership gap that exists in the polity, saying tribalism, religion and some other factors are partly responsible for the dysfunction.

He said: “Leadership has no particular gender and tribe. Leadership is about activity; doing something that is socially meaningful.

“As we approach another election year, it would be good for Nigerians to understand what they want. Do they want a politician or a leader as the president? If you want a politician, vote for a politician. If you want a leader as president, vote for a leader. But, the majority of the people will tell you, we don’t want any politician again, we want a leader. That is simple.”

On his part, Professor Charles Ogbulogo from Covenant University, who delivered the lecture, stated that organisation leaders are needed in all sectors- business, ministry, technology, healthcare, education and non-profit organisations.

He described as misalignment the inability of those who lay claim to leadership but demonstrate grave insensitivity to emergent issues in leadership in contemporary times.

Prof. Ogbulogo lamented that many who tend to practice leadership have very little knowledge of the concept and very little or no training on the art of leadership.

“People just emerge from various pipelines, including, age, ethnicity, experience, bribery, corruption and manipulation to assume leadership positions.”

He submitted that countries with weak educational foundations manifest deficits in managing relationships, following instructions, working with commitment, using modern gadgets, sustaining employment, and enjoying quality health.