The don emphasised the importance of praying for growth and prosperity but he highlighted that these aspirations are closely linked to effective leadership and strong values. To bring about positive change, the don advocated for a fundamental shift in values within leadership.
Speaking at the 2023 Annual Faculty of Arts Lecture at the Lagos State University, Ojo, the don said, “There are conversations on restructuring. Create Biafra Republic, create Oduduwa Republic, when are we going to do value restructuring?”
He emphasised that without restructured values, Nigeria could not be transformed.
“The conversation surrounding values and reformative leadership holds a place of substantial consequence in the developing narrative of the African continent, and Nigeria in particular. This conversation not only represents an imperative theoretical discourse, but it also represents a tangible pathway to socio-political and economic transformation. As we continue to engage in this lively conversation, it is essential that we provide a lively setting in which the complexities of this topic can be investigated in their entirety.”
“It is possible that the cultivation of values such as resiliency, creativity, and community participation will usher in a new era of reformative leadership,” Falola stated.
The topic of the lecture, ‘Beyond Sectarianism: Harnessing the socio-religious and political values for a greater Nigeria’, was also addressed by the other guest speakers, including Prof. Amidu Sanni, former Vice-Chancellor, Fountain University, Osogbo and Rt. Rev. Distinguished Prof. Dapo Asaju, former Vice-Chancellor, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State.
The Vice Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, saluted and thanked the distinguished speaker, Prof. Falola, for gracing the event.
Represented by the Deputy VC, Adminstration, Adenike Boyo, Olatunji-Bello said, “Nigeria is the giant of Africa, a land with enormous resources. We should put Nigeria first. Whether Christian or Muslim because in our differences lies our greatness.”
The Chairman, Academic Committee, Prof. Adewunmi Falode, who was recognised for putting the programme together, told The PUNCH that the lecture achieved all it set out to.
“We achieved everything we wanted to achieve. What we were trying to do with the topic was to look for a way out with Nigeria. We’ve been going round in circles and everything they’ve been coming up with has not been working. It’s like we lost our moral compass and they [the speakers] are now telling us to rediscover that thing that we’ve lost to make Nigeria better, which is moral values,” he stated.
