VREI-Centre LSD graduates 105 leaders, matriculates over 200 into Set 10
By Foster Akpore
WARRI, DELTA STATE — Political leaders seeking a second tenure in office must demonstrate a clear record of performance, accountability and service to the people rather than use re-election as a platform for political consolidation, speakers at the 9th Annual Leadership Lecture and Graduation Ceremony of the Value Rebirth-Centre LSD Leadership School, Delta Study Centre, have warned.
The speakers made the call on Saturday, August 8, 2026, during the leadership lecture and graduation ceremony held in Warri, Delta State, with the theme, “The Second Tenure Syndrome and Governance in Nigeria: Between Continuity and Complacency.”
The event, which also featured the matriculation of Set 10 students, brought together representatives of government and development organisations, academics, civil society actors, security personnel, community leaders, faculty members, students and other stakeholders in leadership development.
Delivering the keynote paper, David Udofia said although the constitutional provision for a second tenure was intended to promote continuity, consolidate policies and enable elected leaders to complete developmental programmes, the Nigerian experience had increasingly raised concerns about accountability and governance performance.
He identified declining accountability, reduced responsiveness to citizens, slower policy implementation, political succession struggles, weakened institutional checks and balances, and the pursuit of personal or political interests as some of the features associated with what he described as the “second tenure syndrome.”
According to him, the central question should not merely be whether leaders should be allowed a second term, but whether governance continues to deliver measurable benefits to citizens throughout a leader’s tenure.
“While second tenure holds the potential for continuity and sustained development, it also carries the risk of complacency, stagnation and governance inefficiency,” Udofia said.
He noted that second-term politics was not peculiar to Nigeria, explaining that countries around the world operated different tenure systems, including single-term, renewable-term and systems without formal term limits.
However, he cautioned that changing the tenure structure alone would not solve Nigeria’s leadership problems.
“Complacency is not limited to second term. It can happen in a single term, and it can also happen in a government without limit,” he argued.
The speaker therefore advocated a stronger emphasis on leadership transformation, mindset reorientation, accountability and good governance, regardless of the tenure arrangement adopted by a country.
He identified key principles of good governance to include participation, consensus orientation, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, equity and inclusiveness, and respect for the rule of law.
A major aspect of the lecture was the distinction between a constitutional second term and what Udofia described as the political “second coming”—the return of politicians to public office after completing a previous tenure.
He cited several patterns of political succession in Nigeria, including former presidents returning to elective office after previous service, former governors moving to the Senate, governors progressing to the presidency, and legislators moving between different levels of government.
According to him, the trend raises questions about whether political continuity is being pursued primarily for the benefit of citizens or for the preservation of political power and access to public resources.
He challenged participants at the leadership school to examine the relationship between political longevity and actual performance.
Earlier, the Founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor, described the lecture theme as timely, particularly as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
Igbuzor warned against the tendency of politicians to begin positioning for future elections before consolidating their performance in their current offices.
He said some politicians were already looking beyond the 2027 elections towards 2031, stressing that political ambition must not take precedence over governance.
“The theme invites deep reflection on how Nigeria can sustain momentum in governance beyond electoral cycles, ensuring that continuity in office translates into continuity in development rather than complacency in leadership,” he said.
Igbuzor urged the graduating students to understand that leadership was fundamentally about service, influence, responsibility and integrity.
He disclosed that the Centre LSD Leadership Schools had so far produced 3,316 graduates across its various study centres, while the Delta Study Centre had produced 897 graduates, including the 105 members of Set 9 graduating at the ceremony.
He also announced new academic partnerships involving Centre LSD and Trinity Western University, Canada; the University of Jos; and Delta State University, saying the partnerships would create pathways for graduates of the leadership school to pursue certificates, postgraduate diplomas, degree and postgraduate programmes in Leadership Studies.
He encouraged the graduates to take advantage of the opportunities and continue their leadership education.
In his welcome address, the Founding Executive Director of the Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative (VREI) and Director of Studies of the Delta Study Centre, Pst. Edewor Egedegbe, said the organisation was established to promote value-driven citizenship, leadership development, sustainable peace and national development.
Egedegbe recalled that his personal journey into leadership development was strengthened by his own participation in the Centre LSD Leadership School during the 2012/2013 academic session.
He said the Delta Study Centre was established on June 10, 2017, as the first Centre LSD Leadership School study centre in the South-South region.
Since its establishment, he said, the centre had graduated 897 leaders, with 105 graduating as Set 9, while more than 200 students were being admitted into Set 10 for the 2026/2027 academic session.
He added that the centre received more than 300 applications for the current academic year, which he said demonstrated the growing interest in leadership education among young people and professionals.
Egedegbe also disclosed plans to develop a permanent Leadership Development Centre after securing land for the project.
According to him, the proposed centre is expected to serve as a hub for leadership development, research, mentoring and entrepreneurship in the South-South region and beyond.
Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Sylvester Okoh, JP, congratulated the graduating students and urged them to remain worthy ambassadors of the institution.
Okoh described the annual leadership lecture as an opportunity for participants to critically examine contemporary leadership and governance challenges facing Nigeria.
He commended VREI, Centre LSD, the Strategic Education Foundation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and other development partners for supporting leadership development initiatives.
The panel discussion that followed the keynote lecture, moderated by Mr. Monday Osasah, FSM, focused on how Nigeria could produce better leaders and strengthen continuity in governance.
Participants generally agreed that the central challenge was bigger than the question of whether Nigeria should retain or abolish the second-term system.
The panel called for stronger democratic institutions, greater institutional independence, leadership based on character and competence, long-term national development planning and increased accountability.
One of the panellists, Lisa Akemu, argued that democratic institutions—including the electoral body, legislature and judiciary—must be strengthened and allowed to operate independently.
Other contributors stressed the need to recruit people of integrity and competence into positions of responsibility rather than surround political leaders with praise singers and sycophants.
The panel also advocated a long-term national development roadmap that would survive changes in political leadership.
Summing up the discussion, Osasah said there was no consensus among the panellists on whether Nigeria should adopt a single-term or retain the second-term system.
However, he said there was broad agreement on the need to strengthen democratic institutions, promote competent and strategic leadership, develop long-term national plans and ensure that people seeking elective office receive proper leadership training.
He further urged aspiring political leaders to undergo leadership training and encouraged citizens who had undergone leadership programmes to demand accountability from those in public office.
Delivering the valedictory speech on behalf of the graduating class, Lisa Akemu, Class Governor of Set 9, described the programme as a journey of transformation, character development and personal growth.
She said the leadership school had taught the graduates that leadership was not primarily about titles or positions but about service, sacrifice, integrity and accountability.
Akemu, who became the first female Class Governor of Set 9, urged her colleagues to take the values acquired during the programme into their homes, workplaces, communities and the wider society.
“The world does not simply need more graduates. It needs principled, compassionate and value-driven leaders who influence their communities with integrity and selfless service,” she said.
She challenged the graduates to demonstrate the character represented by their certificates rather than merely display them.
The ceremony also featured the presentation of the VREI Leadership Excellence Award 2026 to individuals recognised for outstanding community policing, public service, grassroots development and community engagement.
Among the awardees were ACP Redengha Timpa, ACP Graham O. Imade, CSP Musa Yau Kangiwa, CSP Akpobome Michael Esq., Hon. Chief Lucky Iroroefe Avweromre, PhD, JP.
The institution also honoured outstanding Set 9 students for their contributions to the leadership programme.
Vivian Samson and Omuru Oluwakemi received the Centre Ambassador Award for successfully referring new participants into Set 10.
Vote Samson received the Selfless Community Development Service Award for his contribution to helping graduating participants register for their Permanent Voter Cards.
Akemu received the First Female Class Governor Award in recognition of her service as the first female class governor of Set 9.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates to Set 9 graduates, induction into the alumni association, presentations by Set 9 executives and the administration of the matriculation oath to the incoming Set 10 students.
The new students were charged to approach the programme with discipline, openness to learning and a willingness to undergo personal transformation.
The event ended with a renewed call for Nigerians to redefine leadership beyond political office and electoral calculations, with speakers emphasising that the ultimate test of leadership is not the number of years spent in office, but the quality of lives transformed and institutions strengthened.
The message from the 9th Annual Leadership Lecture was clear: continuity in government should never become a licence for complacency, and political tenure must ultimately be judged by performance, accountability and service to the people.