By Moses Nosike
The Guest Speaker for the Strategic Business School (SBS) Alumni Association Inaugural Dinner & Award Nite, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma did not mince words when he canvassed for investment in leadership management and skill and importantly the need for the nation to massively invest in its educational sector if we are genuinely planning to re-invent Nigeria for greatness.

In his well articulated speech, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma posited strongly on the importance of leaders having good management skills and making education a strategic means of re-inventing the country for a greater height. With the topic “Re-inventing Nigeria for Greatness”, Sen. Udoma said “To re-invent Nigeria, you have to re-invent Nigerians.

A good place to start is to ensure that those who aspire to lead us have necessary skills to carry out the task. I would therefore suggest that the Strategic Business School should expand beyond teaching those aspiring to be business leaders, you must also teach those aspiring to be political leaders”.

On maximizing the importance of education as a tool to re-engineer the society to a greater path that will surpass countries like South Korea, a country adjudged to have the best educational system in the world, he said,  “to truly re-invent Nigeria we must go beyond exposing our leaders to better preparation.  We must prepare all our people to be good and productive citizens, with relevant knowledge, and with the right values and orientation. In short, to transform our nation, we must invest in all our human capital” he said.

Apart from the lecture, it was a nite to merry, have fun, cross-fertilize ideas and network with others. The other important aspect of the programme was award giving segment where few selected individuals, corporate organizations and entrepreneurs  were rewarded for their relentless effort in building the nation.

The awardees in the categories of Strategic Public Leadership were the Vice President of the nation, His Excellency Arc. Namadi Sambo (GCON), Lagos State Governor, Barr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Executive Governor of Kano State , Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and his counterpart from Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

The second category was Strategic Entrepreneurship Awardees which had the following people on its list: Mr. Jim Ovia, Co-Founder & Pioneer MD/CEO of ZENITH Bank Plc; John Momoh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television and Prince Nduka Obaigbena, the MD/CEO of Thisday Media while the last category had Zenith Bank Plc, Channels Television and Thisday Newspaper as awardees in the category of Strategic Corporate Brands.