•Urges African leaders to prioritise service, truth, accountability above ambition
Sunday Ehigiator
Former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has recounted how she took difficult and unpopular decisions to confront corruption and injustice during her 10 years in office, insisting that true leadership requires the courage to face uncomfortable realities in the interest of the greater good.
Sirleaf spoke yesterday at the Legacy and Leadership Lecture organised in honour of the late Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, to mark the fifth anniversary of his death.
The former Liberian president, who became Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state, said her experience in public office taught her that leadership should not be measured by the power an individual possesses, but by the lives transformed through the responsible use of such power.
Reflecting on her presidency, Sirleaf said she was often required to make decisions that were difficult, unpopular and capable of hurting people close to her, but maintained that leaders must be prepared to confront corruption, injustice and other uncomfortable realities.
“Many times, I had to make decisions, decisions that I knew would have the effect of hurting others. Decisions that would not be well accepted by colleagues, by the powers, by authorities, and many times by the people I love. Yet, confronting uncomfortable realities, such as corruption, such as injustices, is difficult, but every leader must be prepared to face that.”
Sirleaf said speaking truth to power was not merely an admirable quality but a fundamental requirement for transparent and legitimate governance.
According to her, leaders who are committed to public service must be prepared to withstand criticism, resistance and opposition when they take decisions based on truth, principle and the common good.
“Truth must be a moral compass in turbulent times.”
She noted that the challenge of identifying and defending truth had become even more complicated in the contemporary world, with the proliferation of social media and the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
Sirleaf therefore urged young people and leaders to critically assess the information they receive and remain committed to truth, transparency and accountability.
She said her own experience in government demonstrated that leadership often required standing firm when the easier option was to compromise.
The former president said leaders must know what they stand for, understand their purpose and have the courage to pursue it, even when the odds appear to be against them.
Sirleaf also used the occasion to reflect on the legacy of Captain Okunbo, whom she described as an example of a leader who understood that influence and resources were meaningful only when used to improve the lives of others.
She said Africa had never lacked powerful people, but what the continent urgently needed were leaders who would deploy their influence for the greater good of humanity.
“Africa has never lacked powerful men. What Africa needs are leaders who use power for the greater good of humanity. Captain Okunbo set the example. He used his life to ensure that others moved forward.”
According to her, five years after his death, Okunbo continued to give through the institutions he established, the young people he educated and the members of his family who are carrying forward his vision.
She described this as the essence of a meaningful legacy, arguing that the most important acts of a person’s life should outlive the individual. “Five years after his passing, Captain Okunbo is still giving.
“He gives through the institutions he built. He gives through the young people he educated, who are now educating others. And he gives, most of all, through a daughter and a son, who now set the example to ensure, as he wanted, that his life carries on.”
Sirleaf particularly commended the Okunbo family for sustaining his commitment to empowering people, especially women and young people.
She praised initiatives associated with the family, including the Royal Iwere Foundation and its entrepreneurship academy, for promoting opportunities for women and girls.
“When you build a woman, you build a family, a community, a nation, and the world,” she said.
The former Liberian president said investment in women remained critical to building stronger economies and healthier societies, stressing that women must be given opportunities to take their rightful place as leaders, innovators and changemakers.
She also spoke about her own commitment to women’s leadership through the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development, established after her presidency to support and connect women with the capacity to lead in public service and the corporate world.
Turning to young people at the lecture, Sirleaf said the responsibility of sustaining the legacy of people like Okunbo ultimately rested with the next generation.
She identified six critical “powers” young people should cultivate: “the power of purpose, knowledge, cooperation, truth, determination and faith.”
On purpose, she urged young Africans to look beyond wealth, status and recognition and instead ask themselves what problems they were called to solve and what lives they could improve.
“As you build your future, do not measure success only by wealth, stature, or recognition. Instead, ask yourself, what problem am I called to solve? What life can I improve? What legacy do I want to leave behind?”
She described knowledge as more than academic qualifications, saying young people could acquire valuable knowledge through skills development, reading, listening and learning from the experiences of others.