By Joshua Olomu
A Central Planning Committee (CPC) has been inaugurated to oversee preparations for the formal launch of the Solomon and Mary Lar Institute for Leadership scheduled for Oct. 27 in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CPC, chaired by Mr Bimbo Daramola, was inaugurated on Monday in Abuja.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting, Beni Lar, Director of Operations, Solomon and Mary Lar Foundation, said the institute seeks to promote democratic values and good leadership at all levels of governance in Africa.
According to her, the institute will champion initiatives to deepen democracy and promote good governance in Nigeria, in line with the ideals exemplified by the late Solomon Lar.
“Chief Solomon Lar was a democratic leader. He was a people’s leader, referred to as the emancipator.
“He was a leader for everybody, regardless of race, tribe, gender or religion. All he cared about was the people.
“He reminds many of us of Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, and great leaders like that should be celebrated,” she said.
Lar said bad leadership remained a major challenge across African societies, noting that the continent continued to struggle with raising and sustaining good leaders.
She said the institute would not only preserve the legacies of Solomon and Mary Lar but also serve as a citadel for raising a new generation of selfless leaders.
“We felt that we should go a step further to preserve not just his legacy but also to teach and mentor the young generation.
“There is a need to imbibe the virtues of integrity, honesty, compassion, dedication and love for the people into our public and private life in Nigeria, especially in political offices.
“We feel that the institute can be a model for learning, knowledge and impacting the younger generation in terms of human capacity building,” she said.
She urged members of the committee to work assiduously to ensure a successful launch of the institute.
In his remarks, the committee chairman expressed gratitude to the Lar family for the confidence reposed in him.
Daramola, who served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, pledged to work towards ensuring a successful launch.
“I believe very strongly that anybody that would be put in the position to be the chairman of the planning committee for the Solomon and Mary Lar Institute for Leadership must have been well researched.
“So, it’s been a very humbling call for me because I believe integrity and character must have come into play before this selection to be the chairman of the planning committee,” he said.
Daramola lauded the vision and courage behind the establishment of the institute, describing it as an opportunity to “connect the past with the future”.
According to him, the institute will provide an opportunity to transfer the passion, character and love for the fatherland that the late Lar held dearly to the next generation of leaders.
He said Solomon Lar’s passion for nation-building was worthy of emulation, adding that he inspired both his contemporaries and emerging leaders during his lifetime.
“I was a very young person in 1999 and I related reasonably well with Baba Lar, and a number of people at that time who were trying to understudy him.
“Solomon Lar was a man who was not given to ostentation, but believed that the people should be prioritised over and above the personality of the politicians.
“He lived a life of selflessness, humility and compassion, and if we have these virtues in good dosage in the succeeding generation, this country will be a lot better for it,” he said. (NAN)
Edited by Joseph Edeh