Abia State governor and Harvard Business School alumnus Alex Otti has said Nigeria’s economic stagnation is directly linked to the country’s persistent elevation of mediocre leadership across sectors, warning that national progress will remain elusive unless competence and merit are restored as core values.
Speaking in Lagos at the Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria (HBSAN) Black Tie Dinner and Awards held on 6 December 2025, Otti told a room of senior executives, policymakers, and entrepreneurs that Nigeria’s developmental constraints are not inevitable, but the outcome of choices made over time about who leads and how institutions are run.
“A nation is only as strong as the values it consistently upholds,” Otti said. “We cannot keep rewarding mediocrity and expect extraordinary outcomes. Excellence is not optional. It is the minimum requirement for progress.”
The event, themed Echoes of Excellence, was HBSAN’s first gala in seven years after the pandemic disrupted its calendar. The association used the evening to highlight the role of leadership integrity, professional discipline, and high standards in shaping Nigeria’s economic direction.
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Otti, who delivered the keynote address, said the private and public sectors must confront an uncomfortable truth: Nigeria’s economic challenges are amplified by leadership that is unprepared, risk-averse or unwilling to take difficult decisions. He argued that the country’s institutions cannot deliver results when those entrusted with responsibility lack the competence or commitment required for modern governance and global competition.
“We must reject the idea that leadership without competence is acceptable,” he said. “Every sector suffers when standards collapse. From finance to public administration, from regulation to service delivery, the consequences are visible.”
He urged business leaders to avoid what he described as “the national habit of problem admiration” and instead adopt a problem-solving orientation that emphasises data, discipline, and rigorous decision-making. He added that Nigeria needs leaders capable of taking long-term positions rather than reacting to short-term pressures.
HBSAN president, Collins Onubogu, welcomed the full-capacity audience, noting that the surge in attendance before the weekend reflects renewed interest in rebuilding the community after years of disruption.
Onubogu, an alumnus of Harvard’s OPM 40 program, said HBSAN’s mission is grounded in the belief that the privilege of world-class education must translate into public value. “The privilege of education is not a badge,” he said. “It is a commitment to do things better, raise the bar, and contribute meaningfully to nation-building.”
Corporate partners also took the stage, with Huawei reaffirming its long-term investment in Nigeria’s digital future. The company highlighted its focus on digital inclusion, talent development and public-private collaboration, noting that more than 40,000 young Nigerians have been trained under its ICT programmes.
The awards segment recognised alumni whose careers exemplify the evening’s theme. Onubogu said their achievements demonstrate what is possible when talent meets opportunity, urging the wider network to convert its influence into tangible outcomes for the country.
“Excellence alone is not enough,” he said. “We must pair it with purpose. Nigeria needs what we have to offer, now more than ever.”