From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Patricia Lar, has said that there is a need to have more women in leadership positions in the country.
Lar stated this while speaking at a symposium to mark the six years anniversary of the Director General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman in Abuja.
The acting Vice Chancellor, who noted that there are many women who are qualified to lead, appealed to the men to allow the women to thrive.
According to her, there is a need for political parties to commit to fielding more women as candidates for elective offices, in the overall interest of the country.
“Let’s allow the women to thrive. Let’s embolden them. Women should be encouraged. Choose women and commit them to lead. This will change our country.”
This is as the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended the NILDS DG for his leadership of the Institute in the last six years.
Akpabio, who was represented by a member of the NILDS board, Senator Victor Umeh, described Sulaiman as a resilient and knowledgeable administrator, who has transformed the institute in the last six years.
“He has turned this institute around so much that anytime you drive into the premises, you know that you are walking into an ambience of a citadel of learning, where people’s minds are developed.
“For us in the legislature, this place is a place where the skills of lawmakers are honed. When you come here, you will understand basic symbols of lawmaking.
“And once you follow the guides and the lectures they give you, you turn out to be a good lawmaker; the purpose of setting up this institute is very well realised under his leadership.”
Others at the event, including the founder GOTNI Leadership Centre, Linus Okorie, also lauded the NILDS boss for his transformational leadership in the institute.
Okorie, who was the keynote speaker, stressed the transformational leadership in the country, noting that “The paradox of poverty amidst plenty, the contradictions of policy inconsistency, and the challenge of elite disconnect from the populace remain deep-rooted. These are not just economic or political issues, they are leadership issues.
“For in the end, nations do not change because of the abundance of resources or the eloquence of policies; they change because of the intentionality, integrity and imagination of those who dare to lead differently.
“Professor Abubakar Sulaiman embodies these qualities. His work at NILDS reminds us that institutions can work, that excellence is possible and that leadership still matters. May his legacy inspire many others across the country.”