Executive Secretary of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy (LJLA), Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade, has received the 2026 National Leadership Conference Award for Excellence in Public Service Leadership, in recognition of her contribution to leadership development and public service.
She received the award on Saturday, September 19, 2026, during the second day of the National Leadership Conference held at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
The two-day conference, organised by the GOTNI Leadership Centre, was themed “The Leadership Advantage:
Aligning Vision, Driving Action and Delivering Results.” The second day featured conversations around leadership in pressure, financial leadership, wealth creation, resilience, strategic thinking, people development, execution and
sustainable leadership.
The conference started with arrival and welcome formalities, followed by group discussions and a session by Dr John
Momoh, Chairman and CEO of Channels Television, titled “Leading in the Age of Information: Trust, Communication
and Institutional Trustworthiness.”
The programme subsequently featured a fireside discussion before Dr Dauda Lawal, Governor of Zamfara State,delivered a session titled “Leadership Throughout Pressure: Making Dif icult Choices in Ef ort toward Sustainable
Progress.”
The conference also examined the relationship between leadership and financial responsibility, with Dr Kunemofa Asu, Director of Finance and Accounts at the Niger Delta Development Commission, speaking on “The Money Behind
the Mission: Financial Leadership as a Driver of Results.”
Another session, “From Income to Impact: The Leadership of Wealth, Value Creation and Legacy,” was delivered by Alexis Holifield, Financial Consultant and Wealth Strategist at Arkshire Financial.
The conference's second-day programme also featured an Awards and Recognition segment, during which Agbaje-Okunade received the National Leadership Conference 2026 Award for Excellence in Public Service Leadership.
Speaking after receiving the award, Agbaje-Okunade expressed thanks for the recognition and reflected on the responsibility that comes with leadership and public service. She said, “I receive this recognition with deep thankfulness and a strong sense of responsibility. For me, leadership has never been about the title or the recognition that comes with it, but about the people we serve, the opportunities we create and the impact we leave behind.
This award is an encouragement to continue investing in people, strengthening leadership capacity aadding to ao a culture of purposeful public service. I am grateful to the National Leadership Conference for this honour, and I continue to be committed to the work.”
The recognition arrives as part of Agbaje-Okunade's work at the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, where she has
been involvein encouragingng conversations and initiatives around leadership development, capacity building and
creating opportunities for emerging leaders.
The second-day programme continued with a session by Ms Irma Ihumure, CEO of Kira Group Africa, titled “Resilience to Results: Leading Transformation Through Adversity,” followed by Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe, Chairman of Tekedia Capital and Fasmicro Group, who addressed “The Intelligence Advantage: Thinking Strategically in a Complex World.”
The conference also featured Winifred Nwania, Founder of Winnie's School of Excellence, who spoke on “The
Human Advantage: Building People and Cultures That Deliver,”.
For Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade, the award recognises her work in leadership and public service, while strengthening her responsibility to keep contributing to the development of people and institutions The award therefore comes not simply as a celebration of an individual achievement, but within a broawider nationalversation about the kind of leadership required to translate vision into action and produce sustainable results.
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