To be associated with the name Zik is a priceless honour to any Nigerian. The revered Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe exemplified principled, committed and focused leadership. Zik was an outstanding and charismatic leader. A passionate patriot; an unapologetic nationalist; a relentless defender of justice and an ardent believer in the unity of Nigeria. These qualities stood Zik and his fellow nationalists out as leaders who rose to the challenges of their time, who fought with all they had, liberated us from the shackles of colonialism and laid a solid foundation for a nation with every potential to be a strong and respected voice among the comity of nations. Nigeria now, more than ever before, is in urgent need of men and women who will think, act and live like Zik and his fellow nationalists.

In memory of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and his fellow nationalists: Herbert Macaulay, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief J.S Tarka, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Alhaji Aminu Kano and the host of others, I want to acknowledge and pay special tribute to all our Leaders, both dead and living, for the huge sacrifices they made to secure for us a free and independent nation. They were guided in their actions by what was best for the citizens of Nigeria. They provided leadership that inspired their followers. They faced daunting challenges but they overcame those challenges and achieved their objectives because of their commitment to building our nation. They understood that nation building is an arduous task. It calls for sacrifices, patience, tolerance, accommodation and consensus building. We need to imbibe the spirit that guided our leaders in the past.

Ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that the world is changing. Our problems are now monumental and more complex. Therefore, the demand of leadership in the present-day Nigeria has become more daunting. For instance, our population has risen from about 45 million in 1960 to over 200 million in 2020. Most of that population are in the youthful bracket. Our economy has moved from the boom of the 1960s and 1970s to cycles of stunted growth and recession in the last decade. Our educational institutions have moved from the best rankings in the 1960s to mediocre positions in the 2020s. Our Naira has depreciated from 65 kobo to a dollar in the early 1980s to the present N568 to a dollar in 2021. Our labour market has moved from employment of choice in the 1970s to crises of underemployment and unemployment in the 2020s. In agriculture we have gone from a net exporter of food and cash crops to a nation of food insecurity and import dependence. Nigeria was founded on the principle of unity in diversity, but we are now more divided than ever in our history. Most of us will still remember when we were our brothers’ keeper, but today danger lurks at every conner, nobody is safe anywhere. Around the world our image has shifted from the giant of African to what some say is the poverty capital of the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I will not belabour you with further reference to our national decline but I make haste to say that the leadership approach that will cope with these challenges must be beyond the usual. We need leadership that will change these challenges to a success story. Such leadership must have vision and capacity, be determined and above all be inclusive.

Permit me to further mention that the challenges of leadership will be much more daunting as we move towards the 2^nd quarter of the 21^st

Century (2026 – 2050) due to the effects of the 4^th industrial revolution popularly known as Industry 4.0. It has been described as “the next phase of dramatic technological expansion and social change”. Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum puts it this way: “The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge are unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, material science, energy storage and quantum computing”.

As Nigerians, I want us to note some of the implications of the 4^th Industrial Revolution for the future:

As communication to millions of people across boundaries becomes common place, at little or no cost, every individual rich or poor, illiterate or educated would have the means to influence, challenge, stimulate or expose situations around them. Accordingly, civic engagement of the citizens would become inescapable for leaders in the 2^nd quarter of the 21^st Century.

Scientists will continue to push the boundaries of technology in a bid to replace most human endeavour with machine operations, cutting across industries and human operations – (manufacturing, oil and gas, space travel, transportation, medicine, agriculture, sports, education, communication, construction, power supplies, military, banking etc). We are certain to experience unprecedented enhancement of the existing technologies, e.g., from electric vehicles to self-driving and self-assisted packing cars, from smartphones to smart homes, from cyberknife to robotics surgery, space travel to space colonization, from smart city to intelligent roads etc. The world no doubt will reach for an unprecedented level in technological expansion in the 2^nd quarter of the 21^st Century.

In the next 25 years, oil companies and oil explorations will continue to phase out. This will certainly depress economies that are oil dependent with consequential social and economic effects.

On the effect of the 4^th Industrial revolution on our existence, again, Klaus Schwab captured it thus “we stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear, the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society”. Ladies and gentlemen, in the years ahead, for Nigeria to survive and thrive, we must have peace at home and respect abroad. For that, we need leadership that understands the challenges, the imperatives and concomitant of the 4^th Industrial Revolution. We need leaders that must connect and engage with the people especially the youth. Such leaders must place the youth at the center of every nation building effort in order to move them from the current valley of despair to the height of their potentials. We need leaders that can build societal consensus, repair our broken social fabrics and show deep empathy for all Nigerians that are suffering deprivation, poverty and want of any kind. Our leaders must be skilled in the science and art of good governance. They must be visionary and ready to keep pace with contemporary social, economic and technological changes. They must be pragmatic and result-driven in dealing with security, education, health and other myriad of challenges that confront our nation.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very delighted that the recipients of this year’s Zik Award are outstanding men and women who are blessed with the much-needed leadership qualities.

I want to believe that we all qualified for this award as a result of the services we have respectively rendered to our fatherland and humanity. Accordingly, we are by this award spurred to offer ourselves for more services to our fatherland as never before. To me as an individual, I am pleased to lead the charge, so that, together with other good men and women we will lead and reunite Nigeria. We will heal our wounds and prosper our people in the years ahead.

•Being Acceptance Speech and Vote of Thanks by Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, GCON, on behalf of recipients of 2020 Zik Award. The event took place at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, on Saturday, November 6, 2021. Other award recipients were H.E Babajide Sanwo-Olu, H.E Engr. Abdullahi Sule, H.E Akinwumi Adesina, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, H.E Mrs Ekaette Unuoma Akpabio, Dr Bashir Y. Jamoh, Sen. Dr. Olorunnimba Mamora, Mr. U.K. Eke, and Mr. Uche Orji.

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