Odukoya Memorial Lecture to  Focus on  Nigeria’s Leadership Crisis – THISDAYLIVE

Mary Nnah

Lagos is set to host what organisers call a direct challenge to Nigeria’s leadership deficit on Saturday, June 20, 2026, with the 3rd Daniel Taiwo Odukoya Memorial Lecture at The Fountain of Life Church (TFOLC), Ilupeju.

 TFOLC, in a statement, said  that the event scheduled for 12 noon is free and open to the public, and it is designed to do more than honour its late founder. It is a call to confront a national culture of transactional leadership that leaves no lasting harvest.

Pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya died in 2023, but his influence has not. For three decades he built institutions, mentored thousands, and pushed a people-first model of leadership through ministry, entrepreneurship, and community impact. The institutions remain. The people he raised remain.

The question TFOLC is now asking is whether Nigeria has enough leaders willing to replicate that model in a time when quick wins are prized over legacy.

This year’s theme, “One Life, Many Harvests: The Multiplier Effect of a People-Centered Life,” argues that true leadership cannot be measured by personal accomplishments alone. It is measured by lives transformed, systems built, and influence that multiplies across generations.

In a country where the multiplier effect often runs negative, the lecture is positioning itself as an antidote. 

To drive the point home, TFOLC has named former Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, as guest lecturer. A respected tech executive and corporate leader, Johnson is expected to draw from her experience in innovation, public service, and nation-building to speak on influence, service, and sustainable impact in a rapidly changing world.

Speaking ahead of the event, Head of the Memorial Lecture Planning Committee and Pastor Odukoya’s daughter, Dr. Deborah Enuha,  said the lecture was created to preserve values, not just memories.

“This lecture is more than a remembrance event. It is a platform for preserving timeless leadership values and inspiring individuals to build lives that create lasting impact. It is a call to influence, serve, and leave a legacy that outlives us,” she said.

Attendees can expect thought-provoking conversations, practical leadership lessons, and reflections on how a single life can shift outcomes for a nation. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, policymakers, and the public are expected at the Ilupeju venue.

With Nigeria’s youth demanding accountability and ethical leadership, the Odukoya memorial is framing the issue in stark terms: if one life can create many harvests, how many harvests is Nigeria losing because its leaders are only planting for themselves?