Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association (HHHFAA), Nigeria, says enhancing leadership quality of present and future leaders will reposition Nigeria as a global attraction.
Mrs Abosede Oyeleye, President, HHHFAA Nigeria, said this during a news conference ahead of the 45th Anniversary of the fellowship on Friday in Lagos.
Oyeleye noted that the country has brilliant minds, energy, hard-working citizens and natural resources endowment to unlock its growth potential.
According to her, the time for transformational leaders in Nigeria is now.
In celebrating the anniversary, Oyeleye said that alumni of the fellowship would converge to advance solutions to shared challenges and celebrate impact of the programme to global society.
She noted that a national seminar on leadership would hold on Dec. 8 in Lagos, with immediate relatives of Hubert Humphrey joining virtually from Washington and Minnesota.
Other speakers include U.S Consul General Will Stevens; former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro; Eghobamien-Msheila, Vice-Chairperson, United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (UN-CEDAW), among others.
Also, Ms Amanda Brown, Acting Public Affairs Officer, U.S Consulate Lagos, acknowledged the significance of cultural exchange programmes to both countries.
Brown said that the spirit of Hubert Humphrey lives on through the work of the alumni who impact lives and communities through their passionate commitment to public service.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The fellowship is a specialised, non-degree exchange programme for accomplished mid-career professionals.
It takes beneficiaries from designated countries, including Nigeria to the United States for one-year long graduate level study that focuses on leadership development and professional collaboration with U.S. counterparts at select U.S. universities.
Nearly 5,000 men and women from 157 countries have been honoured as Humphrey Fellows since the Programme was established in 1978.
Some Nigerian Alumni of the fellowship include former Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode; former Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Opeyemi Oke; Dr Reuben Abati, Senior Special Adviser to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, among others.
(NAN)