Obasanjo, Jonathan to talk on leadership at summit

Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan will join other dignitaries to discuss the importance of value-based leadership in Africa at the upcoming African Leadership Biblical Initiative conference.

The General Secretary of the Bible Society of Nigeria, Pastor Samuel Sanusi, disclosed this during a pre-conference press briefing in Lagos on Friday.

He stated that Obasanjo would preside over the five-day ABLI conference with the theme “Value-Based Leadership: Model for Africa”, scheduled to take place from October 21 to 24, 2024, at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre in Abuja.

ABLI Forum is apolitical and non-denominational and seeks to bring about personal and cultural transformation through leadership that is informed and guided by biblical values.

The ABLI conference has been held in 10 different African countries, and Nigeria is the host for the 11th edition.

“The African continent is in dire straits. Africa is considered the least developed and the poorest continent in the world. How did we get there? The bane of the continent has been poor leadership, greed, corruption, and mismanagement.

“According to the United Nations, the least developed countries host about 40 per cent of the world’s poor and account for 13 per cent of the world’s population. Out of the 45 least developed countries listed by the United Nations, over 31 of them are in Africa.

“Through this conference, we desire to stir up the minds of our leaders to embrace leadership with integrity and fear of God. We desire to birth leaders who will lead with honesty, transparency, and a steadfast commitment to ethical principles; leaders who will take decisions that align with the core values of integrity,” the BSN boss explained.

He noted that the society desired to set a new agenda for African leaders and Nigeria in particular, calling on African leaders to shun greed, and corruption and rise to make deliberate efforts to develop the continent.

Sanusi disclosed that the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, will be the special guest of honour at the event and some of the other distinguished guests are former Head of State, Dr Yakubu Gowon, who is the patron of the BSN and former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He added that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, is the chief host.

The keynote speakers at the event are former Chief Justice of South Africa, Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and founder/Chief Executive Officer of Carmel Global Capital, New York, Dr Zienzi Dillon.

The plenary speakers, who will be speaking on the theme ‘Value of Social Harmony, Value of Justice, Value of Integrity and Value of Wisdom’, are the Director of Programmes, Institute for National Transformation Lagos, Mrs Juliet Binitie; constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome; the Justice of Supreme Court of Uganda, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, and a social reformer and Christian philosopher, Dr Vishal Mangalwadi.

Sanusi stated that there would be a youth assembly session themed ‘Arise and Shine: Raising a New Generation of Transformational Leaders’, which would be addressed by the founder and Senior Pastor of The Covenant Nation, Pastor Poju Oyemade, and Mangalwadi.