By Emmanuel Enebeli
Warri: The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, has opened its Leadership Study centre in Delta State, with over 50 students admitted to study at the centre for the next one year.
The study centre known as Centre LSD Leadership School, in partnership with Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, (VREI), commenced lectures at the Hall 2 of the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, with its first batch of students on Saturday, 10 June, 2017.
Speaking at the event, the Founder of the Centre LSD Leadership School, Dr. Otive Igbuzor said that the school which has trained more than 300 students since inception in April 2009 was established to resolve the leadership challenges across the country by unravelling the complexity of the leadership and offering a framework that will help people across all divides to become great leaders.
He said that there is no universal definition of leadership, but stated that there is no doubting the fact that, leadership is one of the most important variables that affect the performance of any organisation or institution.
According to him, quoting Philip of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the great, “An army of deer led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a dear”.
Speaking further, he opined that the leadership of any organisation determines its success or failure, as it is the process of providing guidance to followers, the act of influencing human behaviour to strive willingly for mutually compatible objectives.
“A leader is a person who knows the road, who can see ahead, and who pulls others after him or her”. He concluded.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, (VREI), and Director of Studies of the study centre, Pastor Edewor Egedegbe said that the school will run for a period of one year, from June 2017 to May, 2018.
He stated that within the period, focus will be on presentations, group works, interactive sessions, coaching, mentoring and assignments supervised by the faculty, but physical meetings will take place every second Saturday of the month.
He further said that participation in the school is free, but students are expected to buy at least ten books on leadership to broaden their mind in addition to the lectures received, as certificates of participation will be given to students based on completion of the mandatory attendance and assignment of at least 70 percent.
Commenting on the programme, the students and guests at the inaugural meeting commended the initiators, as they pledged to utilize the teaching of the school for the betterment of their careers, and for the progress and sustenance of the society.
Among those who are in the first class of the study centre, are members of the Delta Online Publishers Forum, (DOPF), which is the body of Online Publishers in Delta State.
The height of the opening ceremony was the issuance of admission letters to the students, administration of the matriculation oath, and the election of the class Governor and Deputy for the next one year.
