From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
A non-governmental organization, Success Tonics International, a platform for training young people to make a positive difference in their generation has trained students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) on impactful and transformative leadership.
The one-day Economics Leadership Summit was held yesterday at UNN with the theme “Making of a Transformative and Impactful Leader.”
The President/Founder of the organization, Dr Tony Orji, who delivered a lecture on the theme of the summit said that Nigeria needs great and impactful leaders who would turn around the economic fortune of the country and change the society positively.
Orji, who is also an Associate Professor of Economics, at the Department of Economics, UNN, disclosed that the vision of the summit was to raise global transformative and impactful leaders with excellent mindsets and character. He described leadership as the ability to know the way, show the way and go the way.
“I am inspired to convene this summit given that our country is in dire need of good leaders and one of the major problems we are facing as a country is poor leadership.
“If we have transformative leaders that have the interest of the masses at heart most of the ills happening in our communities, country, and society now will not happen.
“Training young people on leadership roles is a way of catching them young so that when they become adults and take elective or appointment positions, or become managers and captains of industry they will be able to make transformational change.
”The level of decay, bribery, and corruption that is prevalent in our society among some of our leaders will not make our country to be among the top economies in the world.
”We want to get it right and these are the formative years. We thought it wise that this is the right time to start sowing the good leadership seed that will germinate to become fruitful tomorrow,” he said.
The don explained that a good leader must demonstrate a high level of character, integrity, and honesty, as a leader you must continually learn and grow as well as build strong relationships with people with effective communication skills.
Orji listed Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi of India, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, among others as exemplary and transformational leaders who impacted their country and humanity positively.
In a remark, while declaring the summit open, Prof. Chidi Nzeadibe, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, UNN, described the convener (Orji) as not only being impactful to the department of economics but also to students, faculty, and the entire UNN.
Lead Pastor at Province of Grace Ministries International (PGMI), Nsukka, Mr. Innocent Eleke, said that a leader must be open to learning at all times since their decision would either make or mar in their leadership positions.
“A leader must be open to learning and ready to sacrifice all time if he/she wants to be a servant leader, you must consider the people you are serving first before yourself especially when you want to make critical decisions.
“The problem with some of our leaders is that they surround themselves with sycophants and the wrong people who will not tell them the truth because of what they are benefiting from them, ” he said.