Press Releases

Fashola Reiterates Need For Leaders To Be Methodical

Apr 9, 2008 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Wednesday reiterated the need for leaders to be methodical in the approach to governance in order to elicit the passion of the people.

The Governor spoke at the opening of a seminar titled “Leading for Social Values” organized for members of the State Executive council by Ministry of Establishment and Training with Ashford and McGuire Consulting held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island.

He explained that the present administration in Lagos has always been methodical in its approach to governance because it believes that is the only way to be successful is to be logical .

He added that it is only values, integrity, logic, passion for the people that makes real leaders and ensures successes of governments.

Governor Fashola said it is the duty of every leader to ensure that he elicits passion for the people in the way they are served.

Leadership, Governor Fashola included, is not taught, stressing that people only succeed because they are determined to succeed not by virtue of destiny.

He encouraged the executive council members to ensure the trickling down of lessons learnt by ensuring that the passion of permanent secretaries and directors are elicited for them to buy into whatever policies the political heads put forward.

Governor Fashola enjoined them to be prepared and plan for all actions always and ensure that all decisions are logical before being implemented.

He said it is noteworthy that the Lagos State Executive Council is already working as a team on the fact that there have always been issues which may have been termed impossible but which unanimously have been considered and implemented.

Governor Fashola added that this generation is haunted by the successes of past generations that never had the opportunities of Information Technology and recent appliances, saying the generation must never fail.

Speaking earlier, the lead facilitator, Mr. Don Sonderquist, a respected business leader and former Senior Vice Chairman of the United States chain stores giant Wal-Mart stores incorporated used the Wal-Mart as a case study to illustrate how a concern can be transformed over time through a combination of ethical leadership, values and processes

Speaking earlier, one of the facilitators, Mr Alex Okoh said strategic management framework constitute one of the main planks by which leaders sell hope to the people.

He added that in Lagos the people have had to put up with temporary inconveniences of infrastructure upgrade all over the state because they believed that a better tomorrow can be attained for a Brighter Rewarding Future.

He admitted that what Lagos State has witnessed in the last six months is beyond mere possibilities but in the realm of impossibilities.

While speaking on ‘developing statesman communication, Mr Tom Addington called for the development of a leader of leaders among every nation to be able to move a complex and complicated state and settlement to the next level’.

He said no nation or state can move from one place to the other development wise without a leader.

In Mr Ken Igbokwe of Price Waterhouse Coopers submission, he called for a structured way of capturing vision for every leader, adding that every leader should always give something to the society while they can.