Annual Nigerian Institute of Management conference seeks greater investment in human capacity for national development
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Stakeholders have called for greater investment in human capacity development, stressing that Nigeria’s ability to build strong institutions and achieve sustainable development depends largely on the quality of its people.
The call was made by the conference theme speaker, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and the keynote speaker, His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr.) Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, Alara of Ilara Kingdom, Epe Division, Lagos State at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual National Management Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), who both emphasised the need to develop competent people capable of effectively managing the country’s institutions and resources.
Peterside, who spoke on the theme, “Sixty-Five Years of Management Excellence: Strengthening Institutional Governance in Nigeria,” said Nigeria was not lacking in talented and energetic people but had not invested sufficiently in building the human capacity and institutions required to translate the country’s enormous potential into sustainable development.
He said Nigeria had “talented citizens, intellectual capacity, entrepreneurial energy and enormous national potential,” but stressed that resources and potential alone could not guarantee development.
According to him, the quality of people managing institutions remains critical to whether policies, resources and programmes produce the desired results.
Peterside argued that Nigeria needed to deliberately build the capacity of its people while ensuring that competent and qualified individuals were placed in positions where they could contribute effectively.
He also called for the professionalisation of public management, saying the country needed to attract and retain its best hands in public service and develop managers capable of turning policies into effective programmes and measurable results.
The former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said professional managers had a responsibility to help organisations transform resources into value and strengthen the institutions they lead.
He said the country’s institutions would remain weak if the people running them were not adequately prepared, stressing that management excellence should go beyond certificates and titles to the ability to solve problems, manage resources, develop people and deliver results.
Similarly, Oba Ogunsanwo stressed the importance of continuous investment in people, saying strong institutions could only be built by people with the right knowledge, skills, character and sense of responsibility.
The monarch identified continuous training, retraining, mentoring and development of human resources as one of the key commitments required to strengthen institutional governance in Nigeria.
He said, “Institutions are ultimately built by people, and therefore we must continuously train, retrain, mentor and develop our human resources.”
The Alara of Ilara Kingdom also called for deliberate investment in young Nigerians through education, practical skills, entrepreneurship, innovation, mentorship and professional development.
He said young people should not be regarded merely as leaders of tomorrow but as important stakeholders in Nigeria’s present and future, adding that their development was essential to the future of the country’s institutions.
According to him, beyond technical competence, young Nigerians must also be taught character and responsibility because leadership was about service, responsibility and impact rather than power or position.
Oba Ogunsanwo urged the Nigerian Institute of Management to continue developing managers who understand modern business and public administration, promoting ethical leadership and institutional governance, and mentoring young professionals.
He said Nigeria needed professional managers who would not merely manage organisations but help build institutions capable of delivering sustainable results.
Earlier, the President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), Commodore Abimbola Ayuba, at the opening ceremony of the conference, called for stronger engagement between the Federal Government and the Institute in developing policies and management strategies for national development.
He said NIM had the expertise to contribute to national policy development and urged government to support and engage the Institute more closely.
He said the Institute had also established chapters in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as the United States, to maintain links with Nigerian professionals abroad and tap into their expertise when necessary.
Ayuba said the conference would also produce recommendations aimed at addressing national challenges and shaping the country’s development.
