Philip Nyam 
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) is building a community of leaders committed to public service.
He also revealed that the Initiative is expanding across Africa in partnership with the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), led by its Secretary-General, Amb. ’Dapo Oyewole.
Gbajabiamila made the disclosure while inaugurating the Fourth Cohort of LMI in Abuja.
Delivering his keynote address, Gbajabiamila, who founded the Initiative during his tenure as Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, reaffirmed the vision behind LMI, describing leadership as:
“A conscious act of service and a deliberate choice to rise above self and give meaning to the lives of others.”
He reflected on LMI’s journey since its inception in 2022, emphasizing that what began as a Nigerian project has evolved into a continental model of mentorship and legislative capacity development, with alumni making tangible impacts across public institutions, including State Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly, and civil society organizations across Africa.
He said: “History will judge us by how well we prepare those who will inherit our institutions, our democracy, and our shared destiny. Through LMI, we are building a living community of leaders bound by shared values, integrity, empathy, and a passion for public service.”
Gbajabiamila further announced the Oluwadamilola Agbaje Outstanding Fellow Award, named in honor of a late alumnus, to recognize fellows who exemplify integrity and excellence in public service.
In his remarks, Amb. Oyewole, Chairman of the LMI Planning and Advisory Committee, commended Gbajabiamila for his vision and reaffirmed CoSPAL’s commitment to scaling the Initiative across Africa.
He said: “In just three years, LMI has become one of Africa’s most respected leadership development programmes. As we expand LMI under CoSPAL, we aim to institutionalize mentorship across parliaments, strengthen intergenerational leadership pipelines, and build a new architecture for public sector excellence in Africa.”
Oyewole added that under CoSPAL, LMI will serve as a pan-African public sector leadership academy to strengthen capacity and foster collaboration among young leaders and emerging legislators. He urged Cohort Four to embody “moral, intellectual, and responsive leadership that listens, learns, and leads with empathy and vision.”
On her part, Ms. Solape Sonuga, Director of LMI, expressed gratitude to Gbajabiamila and CoSPAL’s leadership for the renewed direction of the programme, describing LMI as “a convergence of shared purpose and intergenerational collaboration.”
She noted that from over 7,000 applications, only 50 exceptional young Nigerians were selected for Cohort Four, emphasizing that the opportunity represents both personal growth and a collective responsibility to redefine leadership across the continent.
