Prof Iornem Tasks Tinubu, Others on Purposeful Leadership

Sunday Okobi

With the inauguration of a new presidency led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and some state governments, Nigerian leaders across the country have been challenged to offer purposeful and people-driven leadership in this new dispensation in order to place the country’s economy among the top 20 performing economies of the world.

This charge was given by the Nigerian Founder of Commonwealth University in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, Prof David Iornem, who called to question the leadership of Nigeria in the thrive for the country to be in the top 20 economies of the world.

According to him, “We as a people need to tell ourselves the home truth. Corruption is the bane of Nigeria, and without conquering this disease, the country can never be among the top 20 economies in the world.’’

The don stated this at the presentation of honourary doctorate awards to some prominent Nigerians at a ceremony held in Lagos yesterday.

Iornem called on the awardees to continue to shine in their different endeavours of public services, saying they were honoured as the light of their various careers.

The university, which got its operating licence in the Republic of Benin in 2014, is the first private Nigerian-owned university to buy a land and build its own permanent campus in the country.

Iornem, however, called on the goodwill of the awardees to contribute to the further development of the institution.

Some of the awardees at the occasion were Hilton Idahosa, an innovation investor based in the United Kingdom; Solomon Balogun, a UK-based solicitor; Prof Augustine Oke Okoli of Delta State University, Abraka; Dr, Victor Sam Kalagbor of River State University, Port Harcourt, and Dr, Ekundayo Ibeun, a telecom expect based in Lagos.