A Central Planning Committee (CPC) has been inaugurated to oversee preparations for the formal launch of the Solomon and Mary Lar Institute for Leadership scheduled for Oct.27 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CPC, chaired by Hon. Bimbo Daramola, was inaugurated on Monday in Abuja.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting, Hon. Beni Lar, Director of Operations of the Solomon and Mary Lar Foundation, said the leadership institute seeks to promote democratic values and good leadership at all levels of governance in Africa.
According to her, the institute will champion initiatives towards deepening and promoting the ideals of democracy and good governance in Nigeria, as exemplified by the late Solomom Lar.
“Chief Solomon Lar was a democratic leader. He was a people’s leader, referred to as the emancipator.
“He was a leader for everybody, regardless of race, tribe, gender or religion. All he cared about was the people.
“He reminds many of us of Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, and great leaders like that should be celebrated”.
Lar noted that bad leadership was the bane of societies across Africa, as the continent was always faced with the challenge of raising and sustaining good leadership.
According to her, the Solomon and Mary Lar Institute for Leadership would not only preserve legacies, but served as a citadel for raising a new generation of selfless leaders.
“We felt that we should go a step further to preserve not just his legacy but also to teach and mentor the young generation.
“There is a need to imbibe the virtues of integrity, honesty, compassion, dedication and love for the people into our public and private life in Nigeria, especially in political offices.
“We feel that the institute can be a model for learning, for knowledge, and impacting the younger generation in terms of human capacity building”.
She therefore urged members of the committee to work assiduously to ensure a successful launch that will kick start the institute.
In his remarks, the chairman of the committee expressed gratitude for the opportunity given to him to head the CPC.
Daramola, who served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, thanked the Lar’s family for the confidence reposed in him, adding that he would work towards ensuring that the launch was successful.
“I believe very strongly that anybody that would be put in the position to be the chairman of the planning committee for the Solomon and Mary Lar Institute for Leadership must have been well researched.
“So, it’s been a very humbling call for me because I believe integrity and character must have come into play before this selection to be the chairman of the planning committee”.
Daramola lauded the vision and courage to kick start the institute, adding that it was an opportunity to ‘connect the past with the future’.
According to him, the institute will offer an opportunity to transfer the passion, character and love for father land that the late Lar held dearly in his heart to the next generation of leaders.
He said Solomon Lar’s passion for nation building was worthy of emulation as he inspired both his contemporaries and emerging leaders during his lifetime.
“I was a very young person in 1999 and I related reasonably well with Baba Lar , and a number of people at that time who were trying to under-study him.
“Solomon Lar was a man who is not given to ostentation, but believed that the people should be prioritised over and above the personality of the politicians.
“He lived a life of selflessness, humility, compassion, and if we have these virtues in good dosage in the succeeding generation, this country will be a lot better for it”.
