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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has blamed Nigeria’s socio-economic underdevelopment on poor management of its enormous human and natural resources, weak institutions and leadership deficits.
Okoh said the country was not lacking in resources, ideas or capable manpower to attain greatness, but had consistently failed to effectively harness and manage what it possessed for the common good.
“Nigeria does not lack resources. Nigeria does not lack intelligent people. Nigeria does not lack ideas.
“What we need is the discipline to manage our resources wisely, the integrity to manage them transparently, the competence to manage them efficiently, and the leadership courage to manage them in the interest of the common good,” he said.
The CAN President spoke at the 2026 Annual National Management Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), where he delivered a goodwill message and acceptance speech following his investiture as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Sixty-Five Years of Management Excellence: Strengthening Institutional Governance in Nigeria,” Okoh said it was particularly relevant to the challenges confronting the country.
He said Nigeria was endowed with enormous human and natural resources, a vibrant and youthful population, resilient entrepreneurial spirit and immense potential for greatness, but regretted that these advantages had yet to translate into commensurate development.
According to him, the country continues to grapple with institutional weakness, leadership deficits, corruption, insecurity, poor service delivery and declining public confidence in some institutions.
“These challenges remind us of an important truth: the greatness of a nation is ultimately determined by the quality of its institutions and the people who manage them,” he said.
Okoh consequently challenged political leaders and management professionals to enthrone integrity, competence, accountability and transparency in the management of the nation’s resources and institutions.
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He said the Church also had an important role to play in promoting responsible management, noting that although fundamentally a spiritual institution, it manages people, resources, organisations, programmes and complex networks of communities.
According to him, churches across Nigeria and the world administer schools, hospitals, universities, humanitarian programmes, media organisations, businesses, development initiatives and charitable institutions, making sound management and accountability imperative.
Drawing from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the CAN President said the biblical principle of stewardship demanded that resources entrusted to individuals and institutions be deployed wisely and responsibly.
“The principle is clear: what is entrusted to us must not be wasted; it must be developed, multiplied and used for the common good,” he said.
He urged NIM to sustain its commitment to professional management and the principle of stewardship as part of efforts to strengthen institutional governance in the country.
Okoh commended the Institute for its contributions over the past 65 years to management thought, professional capacity development and the promotion of standards of excellence in organisations across Nigeria.
He also expressed appreciation to the President and Chairman of Council of NIM, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (retd), FNIM, fdc, as well as past presidents, fellows, members, management and staff of the Institute for finding him worthy of the honorary fellowship.
The CAN President said he accepted the recognition not merely as a personal distinction but as a call to greater service and responsibility on behalf of CAN and the wider Christian community.
“I regard this honour not as a conclusion, but as an invitation to deeper partnership and greater service to our nation,” he said.
As NIM marks its 65th anniversary, Okoh urged the Institute to redouble efforts towards building institutions that are ethical, efficient, resilient, innovative and capable of delivering a better Nigeria.
