Obasanjo to chair African Biblical Leadership Initiative Conference

A former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, will be the chairman of the African Biblical Leadership Initiative Conference (ABLI) to be hosted by the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) in October.

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Mr Samuel Sanusi, a Pastor and General Secretary, Chief Executive Office of BSN, stated this at a news conference on Friday in Lagos.

Sanusi said that ABLI was birthed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a special session of African Union prayer breakfast by African Heads of States and Governments in 2010.

He said that the aim of ABLI was to institute qualitative transformation of a nation through value-based leadership informed and inspired by biblical values.

The CEO added that the initiative also aim to raise a generation of principled leaders with honour, integrity, capacity, and competence.

He said that the ABLI Forum was political and non-denominational and set to bring about personal and cultural transformation through leadership that was informed and guided by biblical values.

According to him, the ABLI Conference has been held in 10 different African countries in the past and this time, Nigeria is hosting the 11th edition themed, “Value-Based Leadership: Model for Africa.”

He said the conference would be held at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Abuja, from Oct. 21 to Oct. 24 from 9:00 a.m. daily.

“His Excellency, Chief Dr Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, is the Chairman of the Conference, while Her Excellency, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, CON, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will be the Special Guest of Honour.

“Some other distinguished guests included Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), Patron, BSN; Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT as the Host.

READ ALSO:Obasanjo, Anyaoku lament impunity, characterless leadership

“Delegates from all walks of life within and outside Africa, Europe, America, and Asia are expected at the event, including General Secretaries and CEOs of all African Bible Societies,” Sanusi said.

He said that Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, a former Chief Justice of South Africa and Dr Zienzi Dillon, Founder/CEO, Carmel Global Capital, New York would be the Keynote Speakers at the event.

The CEO said the plenary would engage speakers who would be speaking on the Value of Social Harmony, Value of Justice, Value of Integrity and Value of Wisdom.

“The speakers included Mrs. Juliet Binitie, Director of Programmes, Institute for National Transformation Lagos and Prof. Mike Ozekhome, Constitutional Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

” Others included, Dr Vishal Mangalwadi, Social Reformer and Christian Philosopher, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, Justice of Supreme Court of Uganda, and Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi, a Social Reformer and Christian Philosopher,” Sanusi said.

He said the conference would also feature the Youth Assembly session themed, ‘Arise and Shine: Raising a New Generation of Transformational Leaders.’

He added that the Youth Assembly would be addressed by Pastor Poju Oyemade, Founder and Senior Pastor of The Covenant Nation, and Mangalwadi.

Sanusi said the bane of the continent has been poor leadership, greed, corruption and mismanagement.

Referencing the United Nations, Sanusi said the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) host about 40 per cent of world’s poor and account for 13 per cent of world population.

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“Out of the 45 least developed countries listed by the United Nations, over 31 of them are in Africa.

“Through this conference we desire to stir up the minds of our leaders to embrace leadership with integrity and fear of God.

“We desire to birth leaders who will lead with honesty, transparency, and commitment to ethical principles; leaders who will take decisions that align with core values of integrity,” he said.

Sanusi said that the society desire to set a new agenda for African leaders and Nigeria in particular.

“I call on African leaders to shun greed, corruption and rise to make deliberate efforts to develop the continent because no one, country, or continent will do it for us.

“There are some leaders in Africa that have been in power for over 35 years. They cling to power either by force, breaking the law, bending the constitution, or rigging elections,” Sanusi said.

He noted that of all the oil producing countries in Africa, only Libya and Algeria are refining their crude, adding that others, including Nigeria, sell their crude and buy back refined products.

“For us in Nigeria, it is unwise, unjust, unpatriotic, and an act of economic sabotage for us to continue to export our crude and buy back refined products when we have refineries.

“These refineries have not refined fuel for over 20 years in spite of the huge amount being spent on unending turnaround maintenance.

READ ALSO:Obasanjo, Anyaoku lament impunity, characterless leadership

“Our leaders both present and past should apologize to Nigerians over this injustice and mean their apology by making things work,” he said.

Sanusi urged Nigerians to ask questions why the refineries are not working and insist that they be made to work.

”We identify with Nigerians over the current hardship caused by the hike in pump price of fuel.

“If not for selfish interest, this act will not have continued unchecked for so many years.

“I call on President Bola  Tinubu to write his name in gold by doing whatever he can to make our refineries work.

“And stop further importation of fuel which is a major part of the reason why our Naira is weak because of the consistent pressure on dollar for imports,” Sanusi said.

He urged the president to right the wrong done to Nigerians all these years by not allowing the refineries to work.

“This is also a major contributory factor to the current high cost of living because the operating environment for businesses is not conducive making them to pass the rising cost to goods and services.

” I trust our speakers in this conference to do justice to the topics and create a paradigm shift and chart a new course for leadership with example, integrity and the fear of God,” Sanusi said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BSN makes the Word of God available and affordable for Nigerians to transform their lives positively.

They do this through Bible translation, publishing, distribution, organizing life-transforming programmes and fund-raising to execute it’s programmes.

The BSN is a member of the United Bible Societies, a world fellowship of over 150 National Bible Societies working to place God’s Word in the hands and hearts of the people they serve across 240 countries and territories of the world.