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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has affirmed that the state will always invest in its
people and produce leaders who rise above self-interest.
The governor said this as the special guest of honour during the Graduation Ceremony of the 2024/2025 Cohort of Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA) and Induction of the 2025/2026 Cohort at Ikeja, Lagos, in Friday.
He added that Lagos State “will always honour the towering legacy
with vision, served with simplicity, and lived as a true servant
of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande —the man who governed
the people.”
Noting that the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy is a bridge between the aspirations of youth and the responsibilities of leadership, the governor added: “Today, by enshrining the
Academy into law, we have ensured that this bridge will never
collapse.”
He said: “With the signing of the LJLA Bill into law, we have sent a
clear signal: leadership development is not a passing fancy in Lagos State. It is an enduring covenant.”
To the Graduating Fellows, Sanwo-Olu charged: “Your journey here has been nothing but governance, walked through the labyrinth of public service, and promise; you leave it with scars of growth and stories of courage.
“You have confronted the complexities of short of transformative. You entered this program with energy
and emerged with clearer eyes and stronger hearts.”
“The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.”
Sanwo-Olu, who reminded them “this is not an end. Graduation is not a will not just occupy positions but elevate them with courage
curtain call; it is the sounding of the trumpet. Lagos is waiting.
Nigeria is watching,” added: “The continent is in need of leaders who
have integrity.”
To the incoming fellows, the governor said: “Welcome. You step into an institution that
a program, but a responsibility to safeguard its promise for
is now immortalized in law—a legacy carved into the fabric of
our state. That means your task is heavier. You inherit not just
generations after you.
“You will be tested—intellectually, emotionally, morally. Some
days, you will doubt yourself. Other days, you will discover
capacities you did not know you possessed. But that is the
essence of leadership. Leadership is forged, not found.”
While also charging the incoming fellows to “embrace discomfort, governor added: “Let curiosity be your compass, and offices you may one day hold; you are preparing for lives let service be your anchor. You are not simply preparing for
you will impact, the systems you will transform, and the values you will defend.”