Body seeks integrity-driven leadership at national dialogue

The African Leadership Initiative West Africa (ALIWA) has convened national leaders across sectors to reflect on values-driven leadership and Nigeria’s future, as it hosted its inaugural National Leadership Dialogue (NLD) in Lagos.

The event brought together leaders from public service, business, finance, technology, entrepreneurship, civil society and the media to examine the evolving demands of leadership amid Nigeria’s social, economic and governance challenges.

Held under the theme “Reimagining Leadership in a Changing World,” the dialogue provided a platform for participants to interrogate the role of personal values, institutional strength and collaboration in addressing complex national issues.

In his welcome address, President of ALIWA Nigeria, Mr Soji Apampa, stressed the need for leadership anchored in integrity and practical action. He said Nigeria’s leadership challenges require clarity, honesty and collective commitment rather than symbolism.

Delivering the keynote address, former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and Chairman of African Capital Alliance, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, described integrity as the cornerstone of credible leadership, noting that good intentions alone are insufficient without strong systems, transparency and accountability.

Enelamah observed that integrity often comes at a cost, particularly when leaders attempt to challenge entrenched interests. Drawing from personal experience, he said leaders who seek to “walk the talk” frequently face resistance, distractions and scrutiny aimed at frustrating ethical leadership.

He argued that corruption thrives where leaders exercise monopoly of power without accountability, describing it as the abuse of entrusted authority through unchecked discretion.

According to him, systemic weaknesses, rather than individual character alone, often undermine integrity in leadership.

The dialogue featured two panel sessions focusing on resilient leadership for the 21st century and the need to build strong institutions through governance reforms, technology, partnerships and accountability frameworks.

Participants also received a 2026 economic outlook presentation by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), alongside impact presentations by ALIWA Fellows, including Amina Oyagbola of WISCAR and Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), highlighting institutional and community-level outcomes of the initiative.

ALIWA said the National Leadership Dialogue aligns with its broader mission of nurturing values-driven leaders through its Fellowship and Youth Leadership programmes, aimed at transforming personal influence into sustainable national impact and renewing Nigeria’s social contract on leadership and accountability.