Democracy: Leadership bane of Nigeria’s problems – IoD
From MAUREEN DICK, Port Harcourt
The Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoD) has said the plethora of problems confronting Nigeria will continue to be a nightmare, unless the leadership of the country is fixed.
President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute, Tijjani Borodo, stated this during the investiture of the 4th Chairman of the Institute of the Port Harcourt branch, in Rivers State, yesterday.
He identified leadership as the biggest obstacle holding Nigeria, stressing that without addressing the problem, it would be difficult to fix the country.
Borodo, while assessing development in the 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, noted that with a population of over 200 million people and an abundance of natural resources the country ought to have surpassed its current level.
According to Borodo, effective leadership is the missing link to unlocking Nigeria’s greatness.
He said: “The biggest problem we have in this country is leadership if we fix the Leadership in this country, this is a great country, we are over 200 million people, we have minerals across the Northern part of the country, look at the oil and gas we have in the southern part of the country.
“So, the question is, why are we not harnessing this potential? So, it is a question of leadership; I assure you Nigeria will get to the height it is supposed to be.”
He said the Chartered Institute of Directors (IoD) is committed to instilling values such as integrity, hard work, commitment, and ethical performance in its members, emphasizing that if leaders embrace these principles, Nigeria will thrive.
Speaking about the investiture, Borodo also urged the new leadership to prioritize adding value to their members and engaging them in meaningful activities.
Meanwhile, the newly inaugurated 4th chairman of the Institute, Port Harcourt zone, Innocent Akuvue pledged to work with his executive members to drive positive change and increase awareness about the importance of IoD membership among business owners in the zone.
He stressed that membership of the Institute is important for entrepreneurs seeking to run their businesses efficiently, professionally and ethically.
Akuvue, in his plan for the next two years, said he and team would collaborate with past leaders to chart a new course, increase membership, showcase the value addition of IoD membership.
He emphasized the importance of corporate governance, effective business management and human resource management.
Akuvue said: “I am going to work as a team with my executive members. We need to make a change, we need to change the dynamics. We need to create awareness for our people in this zone because it is important if you are running a business, you need to be a member of the IoD because it is going to help you run your business more efficiently, professionally, and ethically.
“That mandate is what we have and we will charge ourselves with the responsibility of making the difference.
“Within two years, we should be able to leave a mark; we should be able to change what we met, working in collaboration with past leaders and chart a new course and increase our membership and bring value to members.
“We are going to increase membership, we need to let members know the value addition they will get being members of the institute.
“It is all about corporate governance, how to run your business and how to manage human beings in your establishment. It is a clear mandate that we have and we are going to make people appreciate being members.”
Ends.