Dr Dorothy Jeff-Nnamani, an expert in HealthTech and a youth advocate, has urged students and youths across tertiary institutions to assume leadership responsibilities in order to bridge the leadership vacuum and solve myriads of problems bedevilling the country.
Jeff-Nnamni gave the advice on Friday at the maiden Public Lecture organised by the School of Management Sciences, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo’ State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture is entitled: “Beyond The Classroom’: “Shaping Leaders For Today’s World’.
Jeff-Nnamani, the guest lecturer, is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Novo Health Africa Foundation, a Nigerian health organisation operating within the health financing and care delivery ecosystem.
According to her, the country is facing leadership crisis and myriads of problems because students and youths has the mindset of getting to certain age, financial class, or political positions before taking leadership responsibilities, but failed to understand that they are leaders in their own world.
She noted that the 2024 UNESCO forum on higher education in Africa, captured this development, framing higher education as a driver for sustainable development on the continent.
“Leadership is a problem we battle in this country; we have various graduates with Masters, PhDs and yet the problems still persists.
”Because we believe that leadership belongs to one department, owned by one faculty, reserved for people who wear suits, sit at head of boardroom or holds political offices.
“Leadership is what happened when human beings with discipline, dignity, value and integrity are trusted with responsibilities, whether that responsibility is a patient, a team, a budget, a system, a community or a nation.
“I stand before you today as a medical doctor, a health sector entrepreneur and executive who has build system, manage people, navigate risks, make decisions under pressure and remain accountable to outcomes.
“I implore you all to see yourselves as leaders in your own world, imbibe leadership responsibilities beyond the four corners of the classrooms.
This will help to solve Nigeria leadership crisis and myriads of problems confronting us,” she said.
Jeff-Nnamani appreciated the visionary leadership of OAUSTECH’s Vice Chancellor, and through the foundation, donated 1000 copies of her lecture books and the sum of N10 million in order to partner with the institution.
Prof. Ehiyamen Osezua, Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, who praised the guest lecturer for the insightful lecture, said that she was able to redifine leadership through her advocation for youth movements and raising leaders beyond Nigeria to the UK, USA and beyond.
He noted that research has discovered that academics ends in the classrooms and only theories was pervaded in higher education globally, adding that something must be done separately for students to look beyond the classrooms.
“My advice for students is to know that they are not here to take their traditional courses alone but look beyond the classrooms and get multi-disciplinary approach to life in order not to be just employable but deployable,” Osezua said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, OAUSTECH’s Vice Chancellor, who also hailed the guest lecturer, said that the lecture was an eye opener for students to imbibe leadership roles by making changes and positive impacts.
“Apart from the mandate of teaching and research, we bring community engagement too, because we believe in town and gown relationship; by bringing people in the industries to interface with people in the university.
“Everything is not about theories alone, it’s about practice and when they get to the bigger world, it will be easy to take leadership role by making changes and creating positive impacts in solving societal problems,” Ologunorisa said.
NAN reports that students, lecturers, academicians, traditional rulers and people from other walks of life were present at the event.
Award presentation to lecturers and traditional rulers was the highlight of the public lecture. (NAN)
Post a Comment