A former education minister, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, and Lagos cleric, Tunde Bakare, have described corruption and leadership failure as Nigeria’s major obstacles to development.

They spoke on Saturday in Lagos during the onboarding of the pioneer class of the Advanced Diploma in Public Leadership and Statecraft, organised by the Citadel School of Governance.

The programme, run in partnership with the University of Lagos Business School, admitted about 70 students for its maiden nine-month course subsidised by Mr Bakare.

Mrs Ezekwesili said many Nigerians appeared comfortable with the country’s challenges, stressing that Nigeria had no justification for its continued failure.

 She commended Mr Bakare’s initiative, lamenting that institutions in both the public and private sectors were struggling due to deep-seated corruption undermining national progress.

 According to her, corruption remains corrosive and, if unchecked, becomes systemic. She likened corruption to cancer, warning it had already drained several generations of opportunities.

Mrs Ezekwesili criticised the growing normalisation of corrupt practices, describing it as a betrayal of future generations for short-term gains.

 Mr Bakare, who is the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, said effective leadership required continuous learning, adding that unqualified people must never remain as Nigeria’s leaders. 

 He explained that the school was established to raise leaders equipped to meet governance demands in Nigeria and Africa.

The cleric stated, “The Citadel School of Governance was founded to become a globally recognised institution producing great leaders.’’

He stressed that the project was not driven by money or political ambition, but by a desire for a functional nation that benefits every Nigerian.

Mr Bakare reaffirmed the school’s vision to nurture agile nations with responsive governments, where knowledge, service, and innovation guide leadership and development.

 According to him, bridging Nigeria’s governance gap requires exposing leaders to modern tools and enabling leadership mobility between private and public sectors.

The Executive Director of the University of Lagos Business School, Prof Michael Adebamowo, said the course would adopt a problem-solving approach in training participants. 

(NAN)