Obasanjo, Oyedepo advocate impact-driven leadership
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop David Oyedepo, Founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide and Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, underscored the significance of value-based,
- By Damola Kola-Dare
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop David Oyedepo, Founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide and Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, underscored the significance of value-based, impact-driven leadership across all sectors of the nation.
Speaking during Oyedepo's visit to the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI) in Abeokuta, the erstwhile president reiterated that leadership deficit remains the central challenge confronting Africa’s development and increasingly, a global problem.
He explained that OOLI was deliberately designed to intervene “from the roots,” with leadership formation beginning at the level of secondary school prefects, student leaders, tertiary institutions, and campus leadership structures.
Obasanjo cited the bespoke leadership training recently organised for student leaders at the University of Lagos as a practical example of OOLI’s impact. The programme, he noted, has brought “tremendous reorientation” to student leaders and significantly improved the quality of governance and representation within the institution.
Oyedepo commended the erstwhile president for the vision and courage to establish the institute.
He described OOLI as “a timely and strategic response that will realign emerging leaders with true transformative leadership traits,” especially at a time when values-based, impact-driven leadership is urgently needed across sectors.
The clergyman celebrated OOLI’s strong emphasis on experiential learning. He noted that the institute’s model—where seasoned facilitators and former African Presidents from five nations serve on the Board of Trustees—teaches from their lived experiences, offering a rare and powerful platform for authentic leadership formation.
He observed that such a practice-based approach moves leadership training beyond theory to tested principles, real-life case studies, and lessons distilled from decades of governance, diplomacy, enterprise, and public service.
Oyedepo reiterated his support for OOLI’s dual focus on present and future leadership, from young student leaders to sitting executives and policymakers. He commended the institute for integrating moral conviction, strategic thinking, and practical competence in its curriculum.
He pledged to continue to stand with the institute in prayer, partnership, and participation, and to make his experiences in ministry, education, and institution-building available as a resource to strengthen OOLI’s faculty and programmes.
Speaking on behalf of the Director of the institute, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (Retd.), the Deputy Director, Prof. Adedeji Daramola, highlighted OOLI’s commitment to taking transformational leadership training across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
He announced that the institute, in partnership with the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, will engage with the Gombe State Youth Parliament to deliver intensive youth leadership workshops for students, young professionals, and emerging leaders in Gombe State.
According to Prof. Daramola, this initiative is part of OOLI’s broader mandate to democratize access to high-quality leadership education, ensuring that young people in all regions have access to it. North and South are equipped to lead with integrity and competence.
