SPPG Graduates 133 new disruptive thinking leaders in 2022

In a bid to produce the next generation leaders with disruptive thinking, School of Politics, Policy & Governance, (SPPG) over the weekend held a graduation ceremony for 133 students for the 2022 academic year in Abuja Nigeria.

At the 2022 graduation ceremony of the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance with the theme: “Designing Our Global Future with Africa in Mind” held at the Shehu Musa Yar’dua Centre, Abuja, were Chairman, FATE Foundation, Fola Adeola, former Minister of Information & Culture, Frank Nweke Jr., former Minister of Education/founder SPPG, Oby Ezekwesili, US Ambassador to Nigeria among others.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo, said the institution was designed to transform the quality of political and public leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

She disclosed that the 2022 graduating class comprised 133 students who underwent 10 intensive months of training and learning.

“For the class of 2022, about 133 students are graduating. The pioneer class was 160, and they have gone through 10 intensive months of training and learning. They studied 140 topics and seven thematic areas. Research shows that there were certain gaps in the knowledge base of many public leaders. So, this is our own contribution to building the knowledge base of future leaders, and we are very pleased that we have 133 graduates.

“A lot of them are already doing great work. They are already community organisers serving at the community level and recruiting individuals that have the potential to be part of our community. Among them, we have at least 5 that scale through the primaries conducted by parties.

“Our 10 months course stretches and strengthens one’s leadership capacity, and our students who were aspirants demonstrate that what we are teaching is not just possible, but we have people running the race already”.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli  Ezekwesili, has linked the root cause of Nigeria’s leadership problem to distorted political culture where leaders place personal interests above the public good.

According to her, there must be a change of mindset by leaders to tackle the growing economy and security challenges in the country.

Ezekwesili, who is also the founder of SPPG, observed that character, competence and capacity was the missing link in producing good leaders in the African continent.

She, therefore, stressed the need for disruptive thinking in the nation’s political space.

She said: ” We found that not just in Nigeria, but across Africa, there is a distorted political culture.

It’s the political culture where those in public leadership subordinate the public good. That is the common good for their personal and narrow interests. And so, what it means is that the common good and public good is not served by people who should be serving. So, to correct that, you have to customize a new leadership mindset.

“So, the training that we gave at the School of Politics, policy and governance has the content to reset the mindset of those who wish to lead in public service.

“They lead by serving, they place character at the foundation of the knowledge that we give to them by improving on their competency and the capacity for them to be able to articulate sound policies, be able to design institutions that enable society to advance and to have the capacity to make the right choices of investment in the goods and services that countries need in order to grow”.

The ex-Vice President for the World Bank’s Africa Region, said ahead of the 2023 elections, such distorted political culture could be corrected with sufficient information on the part of the Nigerians.

According to Ezekwesili, there is a need to educate and sensitize the citizens on the consequences of making bad decisions during elections.

“I think that one of the things that our research shows is the important role of citizens, which is why a critical pillar in the research of fixed politics is the pillar on empowering and enlightening the electorate so that they would have enough influence sufficient enough to influence political outcomes. So, the role of the citizens in democracy is part of what the SPPG promotes and again, we must have the office of the citizen, the community organizing approach, and all the other things that lead towards an empowered citizen that can push back and demand accountability as well as the emergence of the right kind of leadership for our public space”, She added.

Former US Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton, in a short video message, stressed the need for Nigerians to vote during elections, noting that participating in electioneering activities would strengthen the nation’s democracy.

The best graduating students are Joyce Daniels- female and Musa Ali Baba- male.

by Admin

The Road to Good Governance in Nigeria & Africa: A Students’ Memoir of the SPPG Pioneer Cohort

SPPG Pioneer Class Group 12, Naija Pillars of Equity, for their SPPG capstone project, published a book: “The Road to Good Governance in  Nigeria and Africa” A Students’ Memoir of the SPPG Pioneer Cohort.

The SPPG was formed amidst rightful discontent in the repeated cycles of bad governance seen across the African continent, particularly in Nigeria. The school enrolled its pioneer cohort of students on the 1st of March 2021 and began a mission to #FixPolitics in Nigeria and Africa.

For eight months, the SPPG Pioneer Cohort went through an extraordinary journey of understanding what it takes to fix politics. Through varied lectures, assignments, and group activities, students have been transformed by experiences that are no less than remarkable.

Patience Agbamu, Olaibi Noah Adebayo, Tauheed, Halimah Nene, Uchechukwu Dorothy Anagboso, Samuel Adebayo Adekeye, Ayobami Akinyode Olunloyo, Osanyin Taiwo Oreoluwa

Oluyinka Abiodun Oyeniji, Ikenna Ogbudimkpa, Ebi Juliet Ovie-Binitie, Kenneth Eneojo Uttih

Oyindamola Adenike Olugbile, Victor Uche Obioma, and Charles Ikenna O'Tudor, all members of SPPG Pioneer Class Group 12, Naija Pillars of Equity, agreed that for their SPPG capstone project, they would compile the individual “stories of fellow students and weave it together as a  coherent amalgamation of students’ experiences, directly from the frontline of the SPPG journey, are the basis of their project.

According to Group 12, “We believe that capturing this journey is necessary for a nation and a continent that need visibility of a new and positive future.” To this end, they published a book that captured various unique perspectives from members of the pioneer cohort of the SPPG.

The book was ideated through the lens of the School’s mission to educate present and future leaders dedicated to the good of the nation and ready to serve as stewards of the wellbeing of all Nigerians and its vision for a Nigeria with competent and responsible public Leadership firmly based on ethical principles and dedicated to serving the common good for the benefit of all.

The book captures how students' lives and thought patterns have significantly changed since joining the School of Politics, Policy and Governance. It is an interlinked compilation of individual SPPG  experiences that challenge, excite, and encourage a new class of entrants into the school, but more aptly and ultimately into the political arena.

The book captures the values of accountability,  respect and tolerance, stewardship and responsibility, social justice and inclusiveness, and ethical leadership (as a  moral compass).

The book has been published on  Amazon by members of Group12, while financial proceeds from its sales will be given back to the SPPG, with a percentage going to a charity of the school’s choosing.

The book was launched at the SPPG Pioneer Class graduation ceremony.

There are plans in the future to translate the book into French for audiences in Francophone Africa and promote the book within Nigeria and more widely across Africa and the diaspora.

According to the group, the lessons from the SPPG courses were instrumental in putting the chapters of this book together. Those who contributed to the book’s contents made references to several lectures and faculty members.

by Admin

The Purpose and Price of Disruptive Change

The Purpose and Price of Disruptive Change

Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR

Being the First Graduation Day Keynote Speech at the SPPG Pioneer Class of 2021 (International Conference Centre, Abuja): January 29, 2022

0: PROTOCOL

Dear Friends, let me begin by appreciating one of Africa’s finest amazons and founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), my sister Dr. Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili (Oby) for continuing to be a key change maker in Africa. Graduating the first class of the SPPG today is like planting many seeds in a wide field: some may end up as iroko trees, others as shrubs, but we hope that together, they will all bond into a visible and impactful forest. When I received Oby’s letter some five days ago, I concluded that given my punishing schedule at the moment, I would just come and make a few extempore remarks. But I decided last night to scribble a few talking points--- to avoid being misquoted. Therefore, if I appear incoherent, please forgive me.

The Graduation Theme is “Emergence of Unconventionals”. I understand that SPPG was founded to radically and deliberately transform the quality of political and public leadership in Nigeria and Africa, with a view to building a pipeline of value-based and disruptive thinking political class equipped with requisite knowledge and skills to solve complex problems of development in order to reposition Africa in the 21st Century. This is music to my ears and Africa is grateful to Oby.

In 1999, I co-authored a book entitled “Our Continent, Our Future: African Perspectives on Structural Adjustment”. In 2000, I was the long-term consultant in a pan African project that resulted in a book published by the World Bank entitled “Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?” In both books, we identified the centrality of disruptive leadership and a developmental state in Africa’s renaissance. A little over 20 years later, the SPPG has set out to walk the talk by working to deliberately orchestrate the emergence of leaders with knowledge and capabilities.

You can therefore understand why I am personally elated to be speaking at the first graduation ceremony of this cohort of emerging unconventional leaders. Congratulations to you all, and in a few seconds, I will be commiserating with you as well. You volunteered to be in this team, and my charge to you is to go out and make the difference: be the change you have offered to see. Africa is waiting for you. Africa is watching you. Do not let us down.

On leadership, Africa has had a chequered history. While some see only the dark spots, I actually see multi colours of the good, the bad and the ugly. While the bad and the ugly dominate, I always try to avoid what our other sister, Chimamanda Adichie called the “single story” of the African narrative. In some ways, part of our future is in our past. When I read about the plans, values, passion, and accomplishments of some of Africa’s liberation/independence leaders such as Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Nnamdi Azikiwe, etc I have cause to smile as an African. Back home, I am inspired by the examples of Aminu Kano, M.I. Okpara, Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, etc in our first republic. We can fill up hundreds of pages as eulogy to our gallant and patriotic past heroes and heroines, including those distinguished civil servants, captains of industry, journalists, civil society activists, musicians, etc who worked hard and some even paid the ultimate price to see Nigeria a better place. In our more recent history, especially since 1999, we have seen occasional glitters of hope here and there but despair deepens. Around the continent, there is a mixture of bright and gloomy stories. “Africa Rising” was not just a fluke. The Dark Continent remains potentially the land of opportunities and could indeed be the global economic driver of the 22nd century. But the time to lay the foundation is now. The second scramble for Africa is raging, with the Chinese on the loose. Africa indeed needs new orchestra teams and new songs. It needs to run at the speed of a thousand kilometres an hour to seize back its future and shape its narrative. The graduates of SPPG have onerous and daunting tasks ahead of them. You have my commiserations!

With some 140 multidisciplinary topics covered in the past eight months, what can anyone tell you again in terms of knowledge. You have it, and also know where to find more if needed. With the hoes and machetes, the next is to get into the farm and ensure higher productivity. That farm is the field of politics, policy and governance. I am sure you carefully studied the nature of that farm in Nigeria and Africa, and I wish you good luck as you try to navigate through it to leave the society better than you met it.

But let me suggest, for emphasis, that indeed Africa needs a new liberation movement. The first struggle was liberation from the colonial masters. The second will be liberation from rentier politics and politicians. For me, there is almost a sense of nostalgia, recalling the mission and accomplishments of our founding fathers, especially as we contemplate the world without oil in Nigeria. Much of the existing social order is founded on competition for, and distribution of, rents. Oil and the easy money that came with it destroyed the social fabric and the elite created new institutions and political structures to maximize their gains. As the noose tightened globally on other rentier/criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking or internet scamming, many of the barons flocked into politics as the next easy alternative.

Politics has become big business. Appointment or election into public office is seen largely as an opportunity to “eat” rather than a call to selfless service. There is an army of rich (big men) who have never worked or done any productive work in their life and believe that it is their right to expect something for nothing. The tiny less than one percent elite have a stranglehold on the public purse, sprinkling occasional crumbs to the citizens as ‘dividends of democracy’. The citizens themselves either out of helplessness or acquiescence join the party, expecting the politicians to dole out pittance out of public treasury as charity. The citizens actually clap for such phantom “charity”. Politicians who refuse to do so are deemed as “stingy” or “wicked”, and the circus goes on. With a rentier system, a culture of freebies emerged, and most people don’t expect to pay for anything, including taxes, electricity, water, petrol, etc. A classic feature of the political environment is that corruption has become part of the “culture”, with little incentive for honesty. Honesty is scorned as wickedness, foolishness or mere pretense, and those who dare to be different have a steep price to pay. So, who among you is ready to be honest and scorned by society?

Oil is on its way out, but dismantling the decades-old debilitating institutions and politics around it won’t be a tea party. Nigeria is now at a fiscal cliff with a crunching solvency challenge. Youth unemployment, insecurity, poverty, inflation, etc threaten the social fabric. Migrating to a post oil world of 4th Industrial revolution and sustainable prosperity will require massive disruptive transformations and restoration of a productive social contract.

Such disruptions will come at great costs, and could indeed be dangerous. It is not far to imagine what could befall serious disruptors. In Nigeria, we remember what happened to Murtala Muhammed, and the history books are replete with hundreds of examples of the inherent risks. At a personal level, undertaking the banking revolution in Nigeria came with 19 written threats to me and my family, including physical attacks. Disrupting the existing social order is dangerous. Beneficiaries of the current order are powerful enough to organize and viciously fight back to protect their privileges. On the contrary, the masses who are the ultimate beneficiaries are not organized enough to act as a bulwark against the special interests. As things stand currently, we are standing between the rock and the hard place. With the objective to retain power within the context of short electoral cycles, politicians are afraid to undertake the necessary disruptive changes to guarantee long term safety and prosperity for all. On the other hand, the existing trends are totally unsustainable and the system is living on borrowed times. Everyone is sleepwalking to the hard place, and praying that somehow a miracle will happen along the way.

So, who is ready to put his head on the line to lead such productive but dangerous disruptions? Are the SPPG graduates ready for the assignment? I assume that you can’t wait to get to work, to apply your knowledge for a new Nigeria. Am I right? You have my prayers! As I pray for your success, let me throw up a few random nuggets to chew on your way.

Dear friends, fixing politics requires talent and skills. But these won’t be enough. It won’t happen by lone wolves working in silos. It requires new developmental organizations – organizations/teams of believers, driven by defined ideology, purpose and character. Let’s be clear about one point: Nigeria does not lack well educated/skilled and widely travelled stock of human capital to drive her development. In the U.S alone, Nigeria ranks highest on education among ethnic minorities and as a percentage of its population, it has the most educated population of all ethnic groups. At home, we have over 100 universities churning out hundreds of graduates every year. All over the world, Nigerians excel as champions in their various fields. A key missing link is purpose driven cohesion and organization for transformation of the homeland. There are many disparate groups and organizations, including political parties which claim (at least on their statutes) to champion national development. Only a few, if any, can be identified by any soul in terms of a nationalist ideology, professed and practiced by its members. The liberation struggle for independent Africa was driven by a nationalist ideology to be anchored by a developmental state. There is a huge void today, and I am not sure how we can fix our politics without the requisite organizations for change.

So, my first charge to my new friends and graduates is to profess their purpose in the political farmland and actively participate to actualize it. If you have not yet done so, when you go home today, write down your purpose (what do you want to achieve) in the public arena and paste same beside your reading table or anywhere for everyday reference. Then join a political party, a civil society organization, or organize alternative better platforms of leverage. You may better disrupt from inside than outside. Organization is power. The key is to participate in the process or stop complaining. For Nigeria, most people focus on politics in Abuja and we have for too long tried in vain to fix Nigeria from the obtuse centre. It is time to try fixing it and its politics from below--- from the subnational units. If you have something to offer, go and run for office. Win or lose, your participation will add something to the process. Then persevere, endure, and remain focused on delivering your purpose.

For starters, let me suggest that the Alumni of SPPG should form themselves into a New Nigeria Network for change. As SPPG expands, an African network would emerge. Over the next decade, I can see a network of thousands of Africans who share a common template for redeeming our heritage. A Pan African movement may eventually take the stage by storm. The SPPG graduates must literally inculcate and profess a messianic philosophy as the driving force behind their network. It is good to look up to a role model for continuous inspiration or let each SPPG member carry the badge of honour and integrity everywhere. Personally, I would like to hear graduates of SPPG keep reminding the society that “as a graduate of SPPG, there are things I can’t do”, or “as a graduate of SPPG, I always stand up for public interest and not for personal gains” or “I am prepared to pay any price or go to any length to make Africa great”. Just do something different; say something different.

As part of your participation, please deliberately mainstream volunteerism. Don’t waste your new skills or wait until you are in public office. Find or create opportunities to deploy them. Volunteer to teach one hour a week in a local school. You can never imagine the impact. Volunteer in community service: providing information and helping with environmental management, traffic control, public education on lifestyle changes, mentor children and youths, etc. Indeed, volunteer to serve in the village government or clan. Barack Obama failed his first election and went to offer community services, and from there attempted again, and again. Fixing politics requires illustrative personal examples. As Mother Teresa advised, if you can’t change a million lives, start with one. Won’t it be great and a new dawn if on daily basis, each member of the SPPG alumni posts what actions he/she took to be the change he/she desires? Imagine spin-off organizations around Africa with millions of members over time on the same vision and mission. Obviously, something will give!

Dear friends, I won’t end these remarks without reiterating the centrality of purpose in the bid to fix politics. Purpose is everything. If you have not read it, I sincerely recommend the book entitled “The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For” by Rick Warren. Purpose is deeply personal. Everyone must have that personal deep reflection and answer that question: “what on earth am I here for”? For some, the answer is roundly selfish: to eat, drink, marry, build house(s), and accumulate and accumulate all the vanities of the world and then die. In the circumstance, political arena is nothing but a dining table. I know many people trained in some of the best universities in the world and widely travelled but who complain about being deployed to ministries considered “dry” in public service in comparison to the ones they considered as “juicy”. In this instance, it is not about knowledge and skills but purpose. For others, there must be a divine purpose why God in His infinite wisdom decided to make you an African, a Nigerian, etc. If the divine purpose is interpreted to mean that God sent you here to contribute in leaving His creation better than you met it, then you must be driven by a different meaning and impetus to life.

Every society that has prospered and endured has been led by men and women who have discovered a higher purpose beyond self. For such people, politics is a vocation for selfless service and not a job. Such people are driven by a single purpose--- to make a difference and leave legacies. Whenever and wherever competence is augmented with character and developmental ideology, the society wins. I recently re-read Lee Kuan Yew’s book “From Third World to First”, and can’t stop being inspired. The combination of competence and driven by higher purpose produced such a transformational leadership that orchestrated a miracle in development. In one of his last speeches before death, Lee Kuan Yew observed that he and his colleagues were prepared that even if they died trying to make Singapore great, they would have been happy to die for a worthy cause. The choice is personal. The choice is yours.

But if perchance, you choose, as I believe you have elected, to join the crusade for a better Africa, and knowing the missiles that will come your way as you strive to do good and be different, let me encourage you with the great words by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1910: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”.

Dear friends, let me end with this simple prayer for you. May God of Africa grant you the wisdom to discover the divine purpose for your life, the wisdom to know what is right, and very importantly, the courage to do it.

God bless you!

God bless Nigeria!!

Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo

by Admin

#SPPGClassof2021Two Call for applications

You are tired of the status quo, you’ve protested, advocated and you want to run for office or serve in government in 2023 or sometime in the future. The reality is that fixing Nigeria is rocket science. There are no easy answers or shortcuts, you may have good intentions, a passion to serve and to do what is right but without competence, capacity and character you will fail just like those before you.  

To apply 

Step 1: Visit thesppg.org/apply 

Step 2: Click on Apply, fill the Application Form. 

Step 3: Upload Relevant Documents, Submit your application. 

Step 4: Wait to get a confirmation email with the details on how to make an application fee payment. 

Step 5: Make Payment. 

Step 6: Follow up on your referees to ensure they have sent your reference letters to the School.

Step 7: Wait for a decision from the School.

The entire application process will be conducted online, including the submission of all required documents. Applications to the program are assessed by the SPPG Admissions Committee using a strict set of criteria (i.e. applicant’s prior academic performance, professional background, quality of the statement of purpose and references)

SPPG is open to Citizens that aspire to become leaders in society. Admission to the SPPG is highly competitive and merit-based. Ideal candidates are committed to public leadership.

Applicants must show strong academic attainments such as a Bachelor of Arts, Science, or Higher National Diploma. Applicants are expected to demonstrate thought leadership with a track record of academic excellence and public service in any sphere, sector, or community. Demonstrable successful execution of projects will be of added value.

What you need to apply:

Applicants are required to upload the following to the online application portal:

Personal Statement (Maximum – 750 words)

Curriculum Vitae (Maximum – 2 pages) 

Details of 2 recommenders (people who have known you for a minimum of 6 months and can vouch for your character and suitability for this program)

N10,000 Application fee.

Application Deadline

Class 2 Application dates: June 8 – July 17 25, 2021 (All Recommendations and payment must be received by July 25 31).

Incomplete applications (applications without recommendation letters) will be disqualified.

We look forward to receiving your application. 

#TheSPPG

 #ValuesBasedLeadership

 #2021Class2

by Admin

#FixPolitics charges #SPPG cohorts on nation-building, service

by Admin