Ogheneruona Tejiri, Abraka (Delta State)
Nigeria desperately needs truly ethical as well as transformational leadership to cause the change we need in a deprived society like ours just as our greatest need in this 21st century is effective and competent leadership.
This was disclosed by Prof. B. E. B. Nwoke, Professor of Public Health, Parasitology and Entomology, Imo State University, Owerri and Convocation Lecturer at the 15th Convocation Lecture of the Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, he said that there is obvious leadership crisis in Nigeria in particular and our generation generally.
Prof. Nwoke pointed noted that the nation’s greatest challenge now is that of leadership vacuum adding that the number one need all over the world is neither money nor social programmes, he said that not even new governments or political parties is needed now rather what is paramountly needed is quality, moral, disciplined, principle-centered leadership.
The Guest Lecturer of the 15th Convocation Lecture of DELSU was of the opinion that to move the deprived society from the doldrums, “we are in desperate need of true, competent, principled, sensitive, compassionate and spiritual conscious leaders in our governments, business, schools,civic institutions, religious organizations, homes and in every arena of life to drive our development plans. The transformational leaders with high level of accountability, transparency and integrity are the panacea we need in order to drive the National Development Plan(NDP)and improve the livelihood of the deprived society.”
Prof. Nwoke further disclosed that transformational leadership in place determines the level of national development hence it is observed that highly developed countries in the world are led by transformational leaders.
He spoke further, “transformational leadership qualities determines the level of national development. No wonder then that it is observed that the highly developed societies or countries of the world are mainly led by transformational leaders.”
The Professor of Public Health, Parasitology and Entomology added, “if Nigeria, with her abundant human and material resources has been led mainly by transformational leaders, the National Development Plans(NDP) would have been better driven such that the Human Development Index(HDI) ranking would have been more cheering than what we have now. By now, 63years of Independence, Nigeria should have grouped as developed nation with Malaysia and the other Tiger nations.”
