By Sade Adewale, Ondo

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The past president of the West African College of Physicians, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun, has charged leaders at all levels to pave the way in building a shared vision, encouraging mentorship, and empowering new leaders to emerge in preparation for transition.

Omigbodun stated this during the 4th Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe Distinguished Lecture titled “Leadership, Mentorship, and Academic Development in Nigeria,” which was held at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Hall, Laje Medical Village, Ondo, in Ondo City.

He said all Nigerians have the responsibility of leadership, emphasizing that the kind of leadership present throughout the country is a product of the followership, and that we must strive to be better leaders to develop as a nation.

Omigbodun noted that every nation in the world has challenges when it comes to leadership, and Nigeria is no different. There are leadership challenges in the country at all levels, and it is a situation that changes from time to time.

He added that it is the duty of the followership to support the leadership and pray for them rather than curse them.

He further said that leaders must ensure continuity in the system and leave a worthwhile legacy. The drivers of success in leadership are legitimacy, value creation, and stakeholder perception of future prospects.

The past president described leadership as the ability to get people to follow a vision of a better state of affairs and as a process of directing an organized group toward the achievement of goals.

“The sources of leadership are based on a leader’s ability to administer and control rewards or punishment, special knowledge, expertise, skill or experience possessed by the leader, popularity, charisma, or closeness to authority figures.

“The sources of leadership are: formal power/position, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power.”

The past president noted that the effects of leadership are transactional, with leaders who are competent at maintaining activities in the various components of the organization, steering the institution along a path of steady progress.