By Lilian U. Okoro
The Akinjide Adeosun Foundation (AAF), has convened Chapter 11 of its annual Leadership Colloquium and Awards, highlighting the critical role of competent leadership in transforming Nigeria and the African continent.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2026 edition of the colloquium, which brought together leaders, policymakers, professionals, and change-makers had the theme: “Competency In Leadership – A Rarity in Our Clime?.
The event, held virtually on Wednesday in Lagos was also to celebrate the 56th birthday of the Founder and Chairman, AAF, Mr Akinjide Adeosun, a Pharmacist.
Many distinguished persons including Mr Kunle Oyelana, Mr Jimi Agbaje, Funmi Salami, Delon le Grange, paid tribute to Adeosun, describing him as being meticulous, dedicated, humane, a competent leader among others.
In his welcome address, Adeosun, appreciated all participants, urging Nigerians to improve on engagements and commitments that impact lives.
Adeosun, who decried the high rate of inflation, hunger, terrorism, transportation cost and lots of other challenges bedeviling Nigeria, attributed the development to leadership incompetence, but was optimistic that the colloquium would proffer solutions.
He, therefore, solicited for voluntary donation to scale up the Foundation’s FoodBank Project in Nigeria, explaining intentions to scale the 100 fed persons’ baseline in 2025 to feed 1,000 persons monthly, at N5, 000.00/balanced diet from today to December 2026.
He added that the budget was N25 million, stressing that every donation would go a long way to reduce hunger in the land.
“Competence in leadership is not happenstance. It is learned and nurtured.
“Celebrating an 11-year track record of policy advocacy, leadership development, belief-shaping initiatives, and social impact projects—such as the AAF Food Bank providing quality meals to vulnerable workers.
“The colloquium serves as a national call to action for purposeful systems thinking, institutional reform, and collective responsibility toward Nigeria transformation,” Adeosun said.
The Keynote Speaker, Mr Oluwatobi Adeosun, explored whether competence in leadership was truly rare in today’s Nigeria.
He defined competence as the ability to execute to a high standard, solve complex problems, and produce tangible outcomes, especially within difficult socio‑political and economic environments.
The panelists including Prof. Olufunke Adeyeye, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo and CP Rtd Fatai Owoseni, underscored need to institutionalise meritocracy, such that merit, character, and track record must permanently replace patronage, nepotism, and political favoritism in selecting leaders across public and private institutions.
The colloquium concluded with an urgent charge for citizens, leaders, and stakeholders to move beyond passive observation and actively participate as competent nation-builders, recognising that sustainable national progress was never accidental, but the direct result of intentional leadership design.
In recognition of exemplary leadership, the Foundation honoured outstanding individuals as role models of integrity to inspire ethical leadership across all sectors of society.
Additionally, award was given to the Executive Director, May & Baker Nig Plc, Mr Patrick Ajah, for his outstanding and visionary leadership over the decades.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu