About Us
Abuja Civic Leadership Center (ACLC) is a non – profit organization poised to build the capacities of individuals to exercise leadership anytime, anywhere.
We see the urgent need to make a radical shift in how we think about leadership and in the skills that should be encouraged in individuals who take on the task of leading. Our ability to make progress on the daunting issues confronting us will be by nurturing the quantity and quality of our civic leadership. We are keen to promote and build the leadership capacity focused on solving problems for the common good of the nation and Continent.
For ACLC, as long as our conception of civic responsibility is a reactive or passive role, it will only lead to lots of noisy complaining whilst leaving the responsibility for taking initiative and action to others or the government. A new kind of leadership approach is needed with the intention that its practice will help transform the present civic culture prevalent in our nation.
Rather than viewing the exercise of leadership in the civic arena as a means of furthering individual desires, we see it as a means of sharing responsibility for acting together in the pursuit of the common good of our nation.
It is apparent that unless many more citizens are inspired to exercise leadership in more purposeful, provocative and engaging ways in the service of our common good, progress would remain elusive and illusory. At ACLC, our goal is to redefine the concept of civic leadership and responsibility, and how the exercise of it can become the catalyst for national transformation.
Nigeria and indeed Africa is characterized by much diversity, whether in culture, religion, tribe, background etc. To make progress on our daunting challenges will require much more than possessing an authoritative expertise, a position of authority or solutions that have only a top – down approach. The challenges are of an adaptive nature, which will be addressed through changes in people’s priorities, beliefs, habits, values and loyalties. It will involve innovation, shedding deep – rooted norms and ways, tolerating losses and a deliberate effort to generate capacity to thrive anew.
The practice of adaptive leadership is a critical tool to employ in ensuring the right diagnosis is carried out, before solutions are prescribed. In this wise, the approach should first be to identify the gaps that exist between our reality and aspirations, and then seek to build the skills and knowledge needed to make progress on the challenges.
At ACLC, we view the study and practice of adaptive leadership as critical to the transformational change desired in the nation and continent.