We’re Building Leaders Through Mentorship – Gbajabiamila

The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) is fostering a community of leaders dedicated to public service.

According to him, the initiative is expanding across the continent of Africa in partnership with the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) led by its Secretary-General, Amb. ’Dapo Oyewole.

Gbajabiamila disclosed this while inaugurating the Fourth Cohort of LMI in Abuja on Thursday.

The Chief of Staff, who founded the Initiative during his time as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, also 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.”

He reflected on LMI’s journey since its inception in 2022, emphasising that what began as a Nigerian project has evolved into a continental model of mentorship and legislative capacity development, with the alumni making a tangible impact across public institutions ranging from the State Houses of assembly to the National Assembly, and in civil society organisations across Africa.

“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,” Gbajabiamila said.

The former Speaker also announced the Oluwadamilola Agbaje Outstanding Fellow Award, named in honour of a late alumnus, to recognise other fellows who exemplified integrity and excellence in public service.

In his remarks, Ambassador Oyewole, who is also Chairman of the LMI Planning and Advisory Committee, lauded the founder for his vision, reaffirming CoSPAL’s commitment towards scaling the Initiative’s impact across Africa.

“The three years in which I have been responsible for running the Legislative Mentorship Initiative under the leadership of our Founder have been truly remarkable. I am deeply thankful for his leadership and the trust he bestowed in me, alongside my exceptional team, to manage this programme. In just three years, LMI has become one of Africa’s most respected leadership development programmes.

“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.”

Oyewole further stated that under CoSPAL, LMI would serve as a pan-African public sector leadership academy to strengthen capacity and foster collaboration among young leaders and emerging legislators across the continent, in line with the vision of LMI’s founder.

He urged the LMI Cohort Four to embody “moral, intellectual and responsive leadership that listens, learns, and leads with empathy and vision.”

On her part, the Director of LMI, Ms Solape Sonuga, expressed gratitude to the Founder as well as the CoSPAL’s leadership for the renewed direction of the programme, describing LMI as “a convergence of shared purpose and intergenerational collaboration”.

“From over 7,000 applications, only 50 exceptional young Nigerians were selected for this cohort. This opportunity represents not just personal growth, but a collective responsibility to redefine leadership across our continent”, she said.