By Henry Uche
As the year gradually winds down, the Institute Of Directors (IOD) has called on professional corporate leaders to reflect on opportunities and challenges of the outgoing year and share thoughts for better business and economic environment in the coming year.
At the annual Directors Dinner/Award Night in Lagos, the President and Chairman of Governing Council of the Institute, Chris Okunowo, said before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria had battled socio-political and socio-economic problems of exchange rate instability, poor infrastructure, insecurity, worsening social systems among other challenges. He then emphasised the need for experts across board to come up with viable and feasible ideas that could revive the economy in the new year.
Acccording to him, IOD must continue to advocate and advise government on viable options that would be beneficial to the nation, noting that the IOD would keep deepening positive engagement with government, and eschew confrontation but embrace diplomacy and partnership. Okunowo added that IOD would engage with its colleagues in the organised private sector to provide direction that will lead to the achievement of more public-private sectors engagement on policy directions.
“Our plan is to ensure that in all our advocacy and intervention programmes, we present ourselves as partners in progress; who have as much stake in the progress and prosperity of our country as any elected representative or career public servant,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Governor, Adedapo Abiodun, urged IOD to train public servants in the state on corporate governance principles and practices for maximum and efficient service delivery. The governor made the call after receiving the award of a Fellow from the Institute. The governor thanked the Institute for the significant roles it has played so far in the country to ensure corporate governance principles are not compromised at all fronts by personnel in the directorship cadre in both public and private sectors, noting that with IOD and other professional institutes, Nigeria would soon get rid of maladministration and mismanagement of resources caused by dearth of professionalism among corporate leaders.