Bishop David Oyedepo visited the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in March 2026, marking a notable convergence of spiritual and institutional leadership. As Founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide and Chancellor of Covenant University, Oyedepo engaged with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and senior OOLI officials, including Deputy Chief Executive Professor Samuel Daramola. The two-day visit, reported between March 20 and 21, 2026, centered on forging a strategic partnership to strengthen leadership development across Nigeria and Africa. Oyedepo commended OOLI's experiential training model, which includes mentorship and real-world case studies for young leaders from secondary schools to early-career professionals. The collaboration aims to integrate ethical and spiritual principles into OOLI's existing leadership curriculum. OOLI, established within the Obasanjo Presidential Library complex, has built a reputation for practical, values-based leadership training. The engagement signals a deliberate effort to combine moral guidance with hands-on leadership education.
When a megachurch bishop and a former president align on leadership training, it underscores how deeply Nigeria's elite view the current leadership deficit. Bishop Oyedepo's endorsement of OOLI's model suggests religious and political institutions are now formalizing shared expectations of moral conduct in governance. Yet, without measurable outcomes, such partnerships risk becoming symbolic exercises in credibility exchange. For young Nigerians, the real test is whether this alliance produces leaders who act differently in power.
