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Dame Abimbola Fashola (L) cutting the ribbon to launch the Strategy for Mentoring Initiatives and Leadership Empower-ment (SMILE).


(L-R): Dame Abimbola Fashola, Mrs Adebimpe Bamgbose-Martins and Engr Paul Bamgbose-Martins during the ceremony.

Speeches

May 15, 2011 - Launch Of Strategy For Mentoring Initiative And Leadership Empowerment (SMILE)

I wish to start by welcoming to our state, the Centre of Excellence and the emerging megacity in Africa, the Guest Speaker and internationally acknowledged motivational speaker, Dr. Myles Monroe. We are indeed very delighted to have you in our State.

I congratulate my sister, Mrs. Bimpe Bamgbose-Martins and everyone that is involved in the conception and birth of this idea that is being formally presented to the public today. Personally, I am greatly delighted by the event unfolding here today not only because of the great positive impact it promises to make in unleashing leadership potentials in our youths but because by this initiative, Bimpe Bamgbose Martins is making all of us at the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) very proud. We are happy to identify with her as she takes this very bold step in the service of our nation and generation of leaders whose potentials are largely undiscovered or misdirected.

It is an established fact that leadership is key to the achievement of success be it in the corporate world or at the level of government. However, a major yardstick for measuring the success of leadership is the opportunity leaders create for the emergence of future leaders.

Mentoring and leadership empowerment remains the most powerful tools to positively impact the next generation of leaders. The younger generation needs to be guided, inspired, encouraged and taught to imbibe the essential ingredients of success which includes hardwork, right attitude, moral values, determination, perseverance, passion and can –do-spirit among several others.

For me it is very gratifying that this is the focus of Strategy for Mentoring Initiative and Leadership empowerment which is being launched today. My appeal is for everyone to embrace this idea and give it all the support for the objectives to be realized.

We need to bear in mind that whatever success we have achieved and the leadership positions we occupy today would not have been possible without the support and encouragement that we received from others at the critical stage of our development. It is only fair and just that we also offer our hands of support to those who are in need of it to discover and develop their full potentials. By so doing, we will be helping others to grow and also contribute to building a better world for everyone.

Once again, I congratulate Mrs. Bimpe Bamgbose-Martins, members of the Board of Trustees and all those who will be working towards the success of this initiative.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Her Excellency
Dame Abimbola Fashola
First Lady of Lagos State