A university teacher, Prof. Prince Nwachukwu Ololube, has called on institutions across the nation to place emphasis on character as much as education for a balanced institutional leadership and management.
Ololube made the call in his inaugural lecture titled: “Social Sins and the Character of Institutional Leadership and Management: A Nation Programmed to Fail” delivered at the Auditorium, Main Campus, of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
Ololube noted with dismay the preference given to uncreative career at the expense of character stating that such act had hampered the smooth functioning of not only the nation’s institution but its overall sector.
He maintained that in education that ignores character building is an incomplete education and is bound to produce an incomplete education and is bound to produce an incomplete individual.
The professor averred that education at all levels plays weighty role in the advancement of institutions including the economic, political, social, cultural and technological development of any country, adding that in order to achieve the objective of education, institutional leaders are expected to have good character likely to manage and direct the affairs of institutions.
In his words, “Nigerians obsession with materialism in tends to make us more concerned about acquiring knowledge so that we can get better jobs and make money. A lucrative career is preferred to memorable character. Institutions emphasise career building and not character building”.
“People that are outstanding in their career, who score “As in every course and strive harder to maintain their grades become bookworms, passed with distinctions and got uncreative jobs but they can not deal with people nor can they build relationships. They do not have time to learn the important aspects of life (character). All the years of study and excellent grades cannot bring happiness or the desired character to live among people. An education that ignores character building is an incomplete education,” he said.
Ololube regretted that Nigeria lacks genuine leadership with institutions despite the abundance of highly skilled Individuals in the field of institutional leadership and management saying “thousands of millions of naira and dollars were stolen from these institutions which make them unproductive in terms of providing quality education for its students and faculty.”
Describing social sins as sins either by commission or omission with reference to political, economic, social and religious leaders behaviours in society, Ololube said they are realities that delineate societal standards.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu