Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) is building a community of leaders committed to public service.
He also said the initiative, which was his brainchild as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, is expanding across Africa in partnership with the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) led by its Secretary-General, Amb. ’Dapo Oyewole.
Gbajabiamila made the disclosure while inaugurating the Fourth Cohort of LMI in Abuja.
Delivering his keynote address, Gbajabiamila reaffirmed the vision behind the Initiative, describing leadership as “a conscious act of service and a deliberate choice to rise above self and give meaning to the lives of others,” as he feflected on LMI’s journey since its inception in 2022, emphasizing that what began as a Nigerian project has evolved into a continental model of mentorship and legislative capacity development.
He said: “History will judge us by how well we prepare those who will inherit our institutions, our democracy, and our shared destiny. Through LMI, we are building a living community of leaders bound by shared values, integrity, empathy, and a passion for public service.
“The Legislative Mentorship Initiative will now operate under the framework of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures. Through this partnership, African Parliaments will be able to nominate exceptional young leaders to participate in the fellowship — building a continent-wide network of young Africans who will learn, collaborate and shape the future of our continent together.”
In his remarks, Amb. Oyewole, who is also chairman, LMI Planning and Advisory Committee, commended the founder for his vision, reaffirming CoSPAL’s commitment towards scaling the initiative’s impact across Africa. “As we expand LMI to other Africans, under the auspices of CoSPAL, we aim to institutionalise mentorship across parliaments, strengthen intergenerational leadership pipelines, and build a new architecture for public sector excellence in Africa,” he said.
