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…says Nigeria needs think tanks
Henry Uche
Economic and management experts have charged the federal government of Nigeria and corporate organizations to embrace full technological applications in the workplaces as technology is shaping the future of corporate world, for economic growth and development.
At the 36th annual Omolayole management lecture hosted over the weekend by Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, CIPM, a management doyen in whose honor the lecture have been held, Micheal Omolayole, decried the level of despondency and misery in the country, calling on the economic and political community to urgently address the crux of leadership, Management and administration in order to ameliorate the pitiable plight of most Nigerians.
Mr. Omolayole maintained that Nigeria needs at least 50 Think Tanks if the country must make any headway out of myriads of bedeviling challenges noting that as humans create problems for themselves it takes humans to fix same problems.
According to him, “The index of misery in Nigeria is very high today, frustration is staring Nigerians in face unfortunately, politicians must refrain from living only for elections, they must stop thinking about the next elections immediately after elections. People are the essence of leadership and administration and must be treated with dignity.
“Nigeria needs at least 50 Think Tanks to churn out feasible and sustainable solutions, we need problem solvers, no country can grow above its brains, more so, CSOs must speak up consistently and act wisely for the betterment of all.”
He called on corporate bodies to seek alternatives to strike action as different institutions are embarking on industrial action for diverse salient reasons. However, he said government must encourage opinion poll strategy to ascertain exactly where it pinches citizens and fix the problem.
“Strike actions are rare in US, China, Germany and others because the government does the right things at the right time and right manner for the right purpose. Politics is not a do or die affair, he who lacks the capabilities and character to lead should desist from politics. Leadership is a divine mandate, it’s not by physical or financial muscles, we all must join forces and right the wrongs now in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) Paul Gbededo, who spoke on, “Leading At The Speed Of Technology: Implications For The Corporate world”, said in the wake of global pandemic, corporate leaders must be proactive in their businesses as technology space keeps revolutionalising.
He noted that corporate leadership anchored on ethics, logic and passion should be the penchant of every noble leader in order to sail through in the turbulent business world.
“Corporate leaders must anticipate more technological revolutions and act proactively to sustain their most valuable assets, therefore, as the world gets disrupted we must follow suit if we must soar. We cannot lag behind since automatic is becoming the new normal. Failure to run along at the speed of technology will be fatal. Nobody is maintaining the status quo, we must invest in tech, train our human resource, retain our customers reduce redundancy to remain in business.
“Technological advancement is not just disruptive nor destructive but an enabler for increased productivity, however, we must not forget our environmental and social corporate governance as responsible citizens.”
He charged young people to invest their time and energy in skills and self development stressing that corporate organizations are looking out for people who will solve their problems and not otherwise. “You must show yourself approved, days are gone when we brag with the name of our institutions and paper certificates, the world needs people with ideas to solve problems,” he asseverated.
