…as Value Rebirth Centre LSD Leadership School holds 6th graduation, 7th matriculation ceremonies
By Francis Sadhere, Warri
Pastor Edewor Egedegbe, Director of Studies, Value Rebirth Centre LSD Leadership School, Delta Study Centre in Effurun-Warri study, has said that the school has been producing leaders across Nigeria who can mobilize others to succeed.
Egedegbe who is also the Executive Director of Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative (VREI), made this statement during the weekend at the 6th Annual Lecture/Graduation and 7th Matriculation ceremony of the Value Rebirth Centre LSD Leadership School, held at the De-Ellis Event Hall, Ekete Island, Udu local government area of Delta State.
The ceremony was organized in partnership with the Value Rebirth & Empowerment Initiative (VREI) with support from Kenrad Adenuser Stiftung (KAS) and Shamar Educational Foundation (SEF).
Egedegbe who said the school graduated 156 students this year, noted that this year’s lecture theme “Leadership Recruitment Process And National Development In Nigeria,” has been carefully selected owing to the rise of election malpractice and lack of progressive national development in the country.
He added that there was urgent need to advocate and enlighten citizens on the need to hold their elected or appointed representatives accountable.
According to Egedegbe, “2017 shows that 2,500 people killed, 62, 000 people displaced, $13.7billion lost to the clashes and 47 per cent of internally generated revenue in the affected states lost to famers/herdsmen clashes in 2016 as a result of bad governance system.”
Egedegbe also noted that the Idea of the Delta Study Centre of the Leadership School was borne after the realization that to take Niger-Delta Region to where it ought to be, there is the need for leaders and youths across the region to be trained, to enable them understand their God given potentials, discover and develop same by exercising such potentials.
He said the youths in the region needed to be guided to clearly understand that they are seeds for greatness that they must be sown at any given opportunity, adding that they also needed “to sharpen their skills, seek opportunity for training such as this, get mentorship where possible or applicable, be diligent, remain committed and handle skills/potentials extraordinarily.”
“This became the driving force behind Value Rebirth And Empowerment Initiative (VREI) in partnership with The African Centre For Leadership, Strategy And Development Centre (LSD) Abuja, to empower the minds and hands of participants that are admitted into the institute to be trained for a period of one year and be certified by the CENTRE after meeting all criteria, just as we are doing today for the 6th set of successful graduating students,” Egedegbe said.
Chairman of the ceremony, Mrs. Grace Oluwagbemiga Mrs Grace Oluwagbemiga, said the graduands have demonstrated great resilience and commitment throughout the programs, urging them to embrace change as leadership is a changing process.
She said that leadership is not just a title but the ability to impact others with the life you live.
In his lecture titled, “Leadership Recruitment Process and National Development in Nigeria,” Dr Otive Igbuzo, said following the challenges of the 2023 elections, this is the time that Nigeria needed strategic leaders for national rebirth and development.
He noted that Nigeria’s journey to nationhood has lacked strategic imagination and strategic leaders, adding that there is the need for a strategic pathway for national rebirth and development.
“The strategic pathway should contain a long-term direction for the country. It should give a clear picture of a destination for the country that is in alignment with the destiny of the nation.
“The pathway should provide a leadership selection process that recognizes character. competence and capability. It should also of necessity give an indication of how to develop strategic leadership that is inspiring, visionary, entrepreneurial, transformational and above all that can make things happen.
“It is clear that the current leadership recruitment process cannot lead to the selection of dynamic, visionary and strategic leaders. The first anti-dote to the current defective leadership recruitment process is effective participation of citizens in the political process.
“Plato counsels us that if we refuse to participate in politics, we will be ruled by our inferiors. Edmond Burke argues that for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Competent people, educated people, professional people, religious people and indeed all patriots must make a decision to actively participate in politics.
“Secondly, there must be extensive political education. Many people including those who have gone to school are naive and ignorant about politics and its place in society. Political education including electoral education will improve the organisation of party politics and the conduct of elections.
“Finally, Nigerians must learn how to organize to change society. Organizing for change has its own strategies, tactics and dynamics. It does not come from a few workshops, few tweets and few demonstrations. It is not a dash. It is a marathon.
“Nigeria is a potentially great nation. It has historically lacked strategic leaders that can bring about national development. But there is a lot that we can do to change the narrative. The students graduating today can be part of the change that we have been waiting for,” Dr. Otive said.
