The Lagos State Government says it is willing and ready to collaborate with professional bodies such as Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN, to build the state and transform it into a modern metropolis.

This is according to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who says government had always blazed the trail in areas of gender inclusivity and adoption of sound corporate governance principles.

Sanwo-Olu, who spoke through Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, at ICSAN Investiture of its twenty-ninth President Funmilayo Ekundayo said about fifty per cent of the state’s permanent secretaries were women.

According to him, the outstanding achievements, track record in various fields of endeavours and exceptional skills distinguished the newly elected ICSAN president.

In his words, Ekundayo with such pedigree of leadership, the institute would continue to hold its pride of place as it champions sound corporate governance principles across sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The Governor believed that her wealth of experience would undoubtedly guide the institute to greater heights and help the next generation of administrators achieve excellence.

In his goodwill message, Special Adviser to the President on Monetary Policies, Olawale Edun, said Federal Government will ensure good corporate governance, culture and principles in administering the country.

Edun also said federal goverment would enhance more women participation in governance, saying the world had been a male-dominated one, with top positions in the industry and public governance being preserved for men.

According to him, modern development would always appreciate the great roles women had been playing in the scheme of things, saying this had paved way for merit-driven equality with its attendant inclusive growth and development.

Edun said this had led many leading nations to embrace diversity and inclusiveness in public and private sectors by assigning responsible and exalted roles to women.

In his words, the codes of corporate governance of many countries, including that of Nigeria, advocates an appropriate balance of skills and diversity on the board in recognition of the benefits inherent in androgynous policy making.

According to him, ICSAN is not appointing a woman just as sheer perfunctory, quota-allocating exercise to be “politically correct”, as it were, but the institute is giving baton of leadership to a female without compromising competence, independence and integrity.

He described Funmi Ekundayo as a topnotch governance professional with profound experience, top skills and enviable expertise, topping everything with remarkable enterprising spirit.

Edun noted that her emergence continues the ICSAN’s tradition of producing good, talented and visionary leaders to occupy their topmost administrative echelon as the Presidents and Chairman of the Governing Council of the institute, among other positions.

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojájá the second said the newly elected female president was deserving of the height and prayed for guidance and success on all her endeavours.

According to Ogunwusi, women are the pillars of any home and this must be replicated by trusting them in leadership positions, calling to remind the world that a special space must be reserved for women in leadership for the world to be a better place for all.

Ogunwusi explained that the culture of the Oduduwa race dignifies the female gender like their male counterparts, adding that the virtues must be upheld and practiced daily in the society.

The Ooni described Ekundayo as a distinguished core competent, a seasoned trust specialist engaging in the structuring of complex legal, financial and trust instruments, who has been involved in the structuring of a significant number of novel and trailblasing structured finance and capital market transactions over the years.

In her Keynote address, Managing Director, Lotus Merchant Bank, Kafilat Araoye, said diversity, inclusiveness and corporate governance were tools for sustainable development.

Araoye said to further drive sustainable development, every bank in Nigeria through their CEOs committed to nine core principles during the Bankers’ Committee meeting of October 2018.

She listed the benefits of adoption of corporate governance to include increased capital flows, better decision making process, effective strategic planning and reduced conflict of interest.

According to her, improving diversity and inclusiveness would enhance board performance, saying also that if the board did well, institutions got stronger and more productive, which lead to long term sustainable development.

In her words, it is important not to compromise competence in a bid to achieve diversity and inclusiveness, saying equal opportunity for all, irrespective of background will help build a diverse workforce.

According to her, today, marks a first in the history of ICSAN and we look forward to having many more women take on critical roles.

ICSAN Immediate Past President, Taiwo Owokalade noted that Ekundayo has served and impacted the Institute in many ways both directly and through achievements recorded in the various Committees.

Owokalade who delivered his valedictory speech, commended Ekundayo’s exceptional track record of excellence, consistency, and strong character, which has paved the way for her remarkable achievement.

According to him, but her emergence did not come as a surprise; it is a reward for her unbeatable track record of excellence, consistency, and character with which she has blased the trails over the years.

He said the election of Ekundayo as the President of ICSAN signifies a significant step forward in recognising the achievements and capabilities of women in professional fields.

Delivering her acceptance speech, Ekundayo who is the first female President said ICSAN under her leadership will consistently promote the ideals of corporate governance, through periodic issuance of policy papers and guidance materials on corporate and public administration.

Ekundayo said her administration would continue to champion good corporate governance practices, saying her tenure would deepen collaborations with public and private sector players with a view to entrenching corporate governance across all sectors.

According to Ekundayo, Professionals in any socioeconomic formation are the catalyst of development in that they produce services to nurture economic progress, growth, and national prosperity through the effective use of their expertise.

Ekundayo added that it was incumbent on administrators to channel their energies into building strong and thriving public and private sector institutions to enable the nation to realise its economic growth and sustainable development.

She said the economic challenges of the present day make it even more imperative that they strive for excellence thus our impact as secretaries and administrators.

According to her, secretaries and administrators must constantly revise their knowledge, being not satisfied with what they know as they pursue excellence.

“We have several areas we have lined up, including improving membership skills and we are very determined to kick-off the building project that we have.

“I am truly grateful for the trust you have placed upon me and I promise to take the institute to greater heights,” she said.