The Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, has called for stronger collaboration between the Ogun State Government and the Chartered Institute of Directors, saying the institute has a critical role to play in promoting accountability, professionalism and effective directorship.
Salako-Oyedele made the call during the investiture and inauguration ceremony of the executives of the institute’s Southwest Zone, led by its Chairman, Dr. Remilekun Rasaki Bakare.
She charged members of the Chartered Institute of Directors to enhance engagement and visibility while promoting accountability, professionalism and effective directorship.
The deputy governor noted that the institute had a role beyond being a professional body, urging it to provide a platform for mentorship, training, collaboration and networking among business leaders, directors and public servants.
According to her, “The Chartered Institute of Directors occupies a very important place in national development. At a time when Ogun State and other Southwest states are witnessing increased industrial and commercial activities, the need for competent directors and strong business networks has become more urgent.”
She admonished the new leadership of the Southwest Zone to strengthen engagement with businesses across the region by making the institute more visible, accessible and impactful, adding that they could not have chosen a better leader for the job.
Salako-Oyedele said Dr. Bakare understood the principles of good governance as well as the demands of leadership, enterprise and institutional growth.
She also disclosed that Ogun State had continued to attract investments and industries across logistics, agriculture and technology since the inception of the current administration, stressing that the state would continue to welcome partnerships with professional institutes such as the Chartered Institute of Directors, which play a crucial role in fostering corporate governance and leadership.
While congratulating the newly elected executives on their emergence and wishing them a successful tenure, the deputy governor called on entrepreneurs, company directors and public servants to embrace the institute’s mandate, describing it as a veritable tool for bridging the gap between policy and enterprise, government and the private sector, as well as emerging and established businesses.
In his remarks, the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, congratulated the new executives on their investiture and urged them to be more innovative and proactive in implementing value driven programmes while bringing their vast experience to bear across the Southwest, particularly in Ogun State.
Delivering the keynote address on the theme, Innovative Strategy for Improved Governance in Nigeria Since 2023, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Ogala, said many sectors in Nigeria required reforms.
He noted that the present administration had distinguished itself through initiatives such as the removal of fuel subsidy, stabilisation of the exchange rate, local government autonomy, improved diaspora remittances, transparency and investor credibility, strengthened institutional capacity, the student loan scheme and Public Private Partnership.
Earlier, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria, Otunba Adetunji Oyebanji, described the investiture as more than an ordinary occasion, saying it was a call to serve.
He urged the new executives to work towards the reawakening of members across the Southwest, create an environment where both the public and private sectors could seek guidance from the institute, execute value driven programmes, elevate the professional capacity of members and prioritise professional upscaling and sustainability.
In his acceptance speech, the new Chairman of the CIoD Southwest Zone, Dr. Remilekun Rasaki Bakare, said the Southwest occupies a unique position within the corporate governance landscape, stressing the need for collaboration between government and stakeholders such as the institute.
According to him, governance challenges can rarely be solved by government alone. He pledged to lead the zone with honesty, integrity, accountability and professionalism while being guided by the values of the institute.
The event featured the formal investiture and inauguration of the new executives as well as a cultural display by the Ogun State Cultural Troupe.
