Founder and lead pastor of The Transformation Church (TTC), Gwarimpa, Abuja Rev Sam Oye, has hinged Nigeria’s development and speedy recovery from the current socioeconomic and political challenges on the emergence of transformational leaders.
He said the transactional leadership that has been in practice would not lead the country anywhere because it does not inspire the people to be patriotic and nationalistic.
The cleric, who is an author and human capital development expert, said his preference for transformational against transactional leadership was borne out of the fact that the former causes change in individuals and society.
He told journalists at the TTC headquarters in Gwarimpa, Abuja, at a press conference to herald the 1,000 days of the church global prayer movement, Prophetic Prayer Hour (PPH), that transformational leadership creates valuable and positive changes in people with a goal to developing the citizens into leaders.
Oye said Nigeria will develop faster under transformational leaders because those in the helm of affairs will serve as inspirators, morale boosters, role models to their followers; challenge them to take greater ownership of their society and country.
On the other hand, transactional leadership relies on reward and punishment to achieve results from the people. The leader, under this style, rewards people who perform their tasks to meet set targets and sanction poor or non-performers.
The cleric therefore appealed to the new leadership at the federal and state levels to embrace transformational leadership style by engaging Nigerians through the provision of social infrastructure and creating the enabling environment for investors and businesses to operate.
He recommended four active health care centres in each local government area nationwide to improve access to quality health services, motorable roads for farmers to move their produce to the markets.
Oye also called for the transformation of the sports industry to engage Nigerian youths and take them away from social vices caused by idleness. He also canvassed
On the forthcoming weeklong event to mark 1,000 days of unbroken daily prayer service for individuals, families, organisations and government, Rev Oye said the church will hold special prayers for Nigeria and its leaders so that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and governors in the 36 states of the federation will succeed.
The clergyman said the event, which begins on Monday, June 19, 2023 will end on Friday, June 23, 2023 with Nigerians from all walks of life gathering in the church to pray for a new dawn in the country and nations across the world. On Wednesday, June 21, Oye will lead the political and business communities to gather at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, for intense prayers for Nigeria and its leaders.
Tracing the origin of the prayer movement to October 2019, Rev Oye said he had a burden to pray for five days for positive changes in Nigeria and the entire global community because many things were going wrong, expressed delight and gratitude to God that what was designed to last for five days had become a global phenomenon where people across continents now look up to Nigeria for hope and inspiration through prayers.
He described it as the biggest prayer movement in Nigeria where 381,000 people gathered to pray in a single meeting, with searchlight beamed on Nigeria
Oye said the miracles and changes the prayer movement had produced now presents Nigeria to the world as a country where good things happened instead of hitherto stigma of crime and criminality.
Speaking on TTC’s humanitarian and welfare services, Oye said the Church runs a “Rescue Mission” where girls are taken away from the streets and prostitution and equipped with skills and seed money to realise their full potential.
He also gave hints of the church Frontline Ladies Conference where women are trained and given seed money to own businesses and be financially independent.
To sustain the PPH, the cleric said the church will set up prayer centres where people of all faiths across the world gather to pray and hear inspirational scriptural messages.