Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, and former Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), are among key speakers expected at the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform Annual Symposium scheduled to hold in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The symposium, themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” will take place on Friday, October 24, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.

The symposium is an integral part of the Odun Omo Olowu, an annual festival observed by the Owu people.

The brain behind the event and Aare Mayegun of Owu Kingdom, Abeokuta, Aare Kazeem Bakinson, announced the lineup during a press conference in Abeokuta.

He said the event aims to promote integrity, accountability, and excellence in governance through intellectual engagement.

Governor Makinde is billed to chair the symposium, while Fashola and former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, will serve as guest speakers. Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) is expected to deliver the keynote address. Obasanjo is also expected to attend.

Bakinson, a regional and urban planning expert, attributed the country’s developmental challenges to poor leadership.

He said despite Nigeria’s abundant natural resources and hardworking population, the absence of morally upright and accountable leadership continues to hinder progress in critical sectors such as infrastructure, security, and healthcare.

“We are blessed with natural resources, we’re blessed with hardworking people, but leadership is the problem in Nigeria,” he said. “Leadership is about integrity — what you do when no one is looking. If we get our leadership right, our roads will be better, hospitals will be well managed, cultism will reduce in universities, and the family unit will be stronger.”

He also criticized the disconnect between political leaders and their communities, noting that many local government chairmen do not reside in their constituencies, and claimed that 70 percent of buildings across the country lack official approvals.

“We are in a situation where the chairman of a local government does not live in the local government. Seventy percent of our buildings do not have approval. A country that is successful is so because of its leadership. We have leaders who don’t know what they are doing,” he said.

Bakinson described the Ajibosin Platform as a non-political intellectual movement committed to fostering good governance and leadership values in Nigeria. (Daily Trust)