Rinsola Abiola Bags Award of Excellence, Charges Public Administration Students on Ethical Leadership at UNIABUJA Policy Dialogue
The Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), Rinsola Abiola, has been honoured with an Award of Excellence by the National Association of Public Administration Students (NAPAS), University of Abuja, following her keynote address at the maiden edition of the association’s Policy Dialogue held on the campus.
Abiola, who delivered the keynote at NAPAS Policy Dialogue 1.0 themed “Citizenship, Leadership and Youth Participation in National Development,” was recognised for her contribution to youth engagement and public service advocacy, an honour she said she dedicates to “the continued pursuit of impactful leadership through public service.”
Speaking through her official X account, the CLTC boss expressed gratitude to the association for the recognition and the platform it provided for dialogue with the next generation of public administrators. “I am equally grateful for the warm reception and would like to commend the association for creating a platform for thoughtful dialogue with the next generation of public administrators,” she stated.
In her keynote, Abiola charged the students of the Department of Public Administration to see citizenship as more than a legal status, but as an active duty. According to her, “citizenship must be understood not merely as a legal status, but as an active responsibility,” urging the students to engage meaningfully in governance, hold institutions accountable, and embrace their roles in nation-building as a shared responsibility.
She further told the gathering that leadership is not a function of office alone but of character, stressing that genuine leadership is “defined by credibility, competence, accountability and a genuine commitment to service.” She urged the aspiring administrators to prioritise technical excellence, ethical conduct, and continuous learning as they prepare to translate public policy into real outcomes for citizens.
Beyond the keynote, the CLTC DG also featured on a panel session themed “Repositioning Public Administration for Effective Governance and National Development,” where she fielded questions on civic responsibility, patriotism, ethical leadership, and political neutrality in public service.
Responding to a question on whether public servants should remain politically neutral, Abiola offered a nuanced position, noting that “while not everyone is called into politics, everyone is called to be an active citizen.” She encouraged the students to remain focused on professional excellence and never lose sight of the values guiding their service, regardless of political inclination.
She rounded off her engagement with the students by urging them to seek out opportunities for civic participation, volunteerism, and leadership development, describing public service as a calling that demands professionalism, integrity, and an open mind.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with questions of institutional credibility and youth disillusionment with governance, engagements such as the NAPAS Policy Dialogue underscore a growing effort to bridge the gap between classroom theory and the realities of public administration. With young people increasingly positioned as the custodians of the nation’s governance future, the charge now rests on institutions, mentors and policy stakeholders to sustain such platforms — and on the students themselves to translate the lessons of the dialogue into the competence and character the country urgently needs.
