Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, has commended the Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation (GAMSU) and the Lagos Business School (LBS) on the newly commissioned International Management Research Centre.
He stressed the importance of research in resolving the challenges of the society,
At the event, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the secretary to the state government, Bimbo Salu-Hudeyin, said the centre in honour of the late Gamaliel Onosode and his wife, Susan, is a testament that the African management landscape is ready to be shaped by its own people rather than by external forces.
The governor noted that the “edifice stands as a tribute to the late Gamaliel Onosode enduring legacy of integrity, excellence and commitment to shaping the future of management in Africa. The role of shaping Africa‘s management landscape speaks to the transformative power that thoughtful and rigorous research can have on the people particularly on our continent.
“The LBS through this state-of-the-art research center reaffirms its commitment to contributing significantly to the intellectual capital that will shape the future of management in Africa and consequently impact our developmental strides. Research is the bedrock upon which progress is built.
“It illuminates the pathways challenging existing paradigms and providing insights needed to address and combat challenges facing our society. In the context of management, research becomes a compass guiding business, policy makers and institutions towards sustainable and impactful decisions.”
In his opening remarks, the chairman of GAMSU, Mr Moyo Ajekigbe, thanked the LBS for putting the funding from the foundation to good use.
He said, “It is my prayer that the centre will serve the purpose for which it is being built, which is to help the LBS in achieving its goal of capacity management while providing world class learning experience.
“I invite you to partner with GAMSU as a donor in fostering the success of the young ones through the provision of quality and affordable learning opportunities. Your donations will be used to support the projects that GAMSU is involved in which include provisions in selected public schools, award of scholarships particularly to less privileged students and other social activities.
“We intend to achieve these through the GAMSU endowment fund and GAMSU school initiative/scholarship fund, by donating to the foundation you will be contributing to the improvement of the Nigerian children.
“We at GAMSU are delighted that our flagship project is being commissioned today. Gamaliel Onosode had a passion for quality education and this was what motivated him to establish GMANSU which was launched in May 2013. Onosode had the Nigerian child in mind when he set up this foundation. But as a past president in the institute of management, he also believed that provision of world class executive education was a key requirement for economic transformation of Nigeria, hence GAMSU’s partnership with the LBS.
“Onosode had a belief that his contribution to the country should be continuous and should outlive him. The international management research center that is being commissioned today is a part of that dream,” he said.
“LBS is a strong brand and the Onosode brand is equally strong which stands on values such as integrity, hard work, selflessness, patriotism and passion for excellence. The decision to partner with LBS was largely informed by the desire to work with an organization known for structure and excellence. The donation of N500 million to the center had 70 per cent from the family, 20 per cent from the foundation and 10 per cent from other donors,” he added.
On his part, the dean of LBS, Professor Chris Ogbechie, said the centre, which is worth over N1 billion, is a brilliant initiative towards improving management practice in Nigeria and Africa.
“This research centre houses all our research initiatives that help us to drive the practice of management in Nigeria and Africa, so that whatever we do, we can also help practitioners. So, all our research programmes and projects are impact driven and most importantly, they are meant to help businesses, public sector, social sector to succeed in the way they run their operations. That was a brilliant initiative, because we all know what Gamaliel stood for and there is a synergy between his own values and the values of the LBS.”
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