…As Jonathan, Lawan Laud Suleiman’s Reform Legacy at NILDS
Olasunmibo Aboluwade, Abuja
Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has warned that Nigeria’s progress and democratic stability will remain out of reach until leaders at all levels adopt value-driven, transformative leadership anchored on integrity and public service.
He said genuine reform in Nigeria must begin with a change in leadership ethics and mindset.
He gave the charge in Abuja on Thursday during the public presentation of a new book titled Transformative Leadership in Practice: NILDS under Professor Abubakar Suleiman.
The book chronicles the institutional reforms and achievements of the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Suleiman.
Jega described the book as a “compelling case study” on the power of purposeful leadership to rebuild institutions, inspire efficiency, and restore public confidence in governance.
He said, “This book provides empirical evidence that transformative leadership is not theoretical, it works.
“We cannot continue to lament weak institutions while celebrating mediocrity.
“Leadership must be guided by service, not self-interest. Until our leaders internalize this principle, national transformation will remain elusive.”
He commended Suleiman’s leadership at NILDS.
He said, “Professor Suleiman’s work at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies shows that when vision meets courage, even a public institution can evolve into a center of excellence.”
He noted that under his six-year tenure, the institute expanded its staff strength by over 60 percent, reviewed more than 1,300 bills, conducted about 700 training programmes for legislators and civil society actors, and completed its long-delayed permanent headquarters project.
According to Jega, such performance stands in stark contrast to the stagnation, inefficiency, and patronage that characterize most public institutions.
Representing former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), praised Suleiman as an “institution builder” whose leadership left a lasting imprint both at the National Planning Commission and now at NILDS.
Adoke said, “Although his appointment came towards the end of our administration, Professor Suleiman’s impact was immediate.
“He brought professionalism, structure, and accountability, values our public institutions desperately need today.”
Also speaking, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said Nigeria’s major challenge was not the lack of intellectual capacity but a deficit of integrity in leadership.
He lauded Suleiman for demonstrating that moral leadership is possible in public life.
The monarch said, “He is a man of simplicity, empathy, and discipline, a professor in leadership as much as in politics.
“Nigeria’s renewal depends on leaders who embody those same values.”
Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who chaired the NILDS Governing Council during Suleiman’s tenure, described him as “a reformer who turned ideas into action.”
He said the DG’s innovations repositioned the institute as a premier hub of legislative capacity-building and policy analysis.
Lawan said, “We established new departments such as the Institute for Legislative Security Analysis and the Democracy Lab.
“These initiatives reflect Professor Suleiman’s vision of NILDS as a knowledge-driven institution committed to democratic growth.”
