LBS alumni drive N5bn fundraising for endowment chair – Businessday NG

…hosts 2026 Alumni Day Conference and Presidential Dinner

In a major show of commitment to the future of management education in Nigeria, the 2026/28 Lagos Business School alumni have embarked on a N5 billion fundraising campaign to establish the Albert Alos Endowment Chair.

The fundraising drive, according to the leadership of alumni, is billed for the school’s 2026 Alumni Day and Presidential Dinner, which provides a platform for reconnecting graduates, celebrating shared achievements and rallying support for the ambitious endowment initiative.

Valentine Okelu, president of the Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA), speaking during a media interaction with journalists on Monday, said the endowment underscores the association’s determination to give back to the institution and strengthen its academic legacy.

Okelu emphasised that the conference is intended to bring together most of the alumni.

“We use the alumni day conference as a platform to bring together our members, friends and other key leaders in different sectors to discuss and influence policies in Nigeria’s economy,” he said.

Michael Ekeagbara, president of the host class OMP40, giving more insight into the event, said the theme for the conference is “Driving Nigeria’s Economic Growth through Leadership, Capital, and AI-driven Innovation.”

This, he noted, is very important in the sense that Nigeria is talking about the one trillion economies; hence, there is a need to discuss how to develop and move the country’s economy to the next level.

“We need to take some action by coming together and discussing some of the things that will help Nigeria to move forward.

“There is no growth without leadership. Leadership is there to give the vision, guide the execution as we work together towards growing Nigeria’s economy,” he said.

Wole Abu, vice-president at LBSAA, emphasised that developing Nigeria goes beyond mere coming up with economic policy.

“It’s to make sure that enterprises can thrive, employ and contribute to the economy; that’s what the alumni day is all about.

“What the alumni is doing is to gather people from academia, the private sector, and the public sector, to rub minds and provide options for people to do business better amid various business challenges,” he said.

The vision of dual management education in Nigeria, and we passed on through a series of constitutional provisions.

Henry Andoh, director of alumni relations, Lagos, explained that everything the alumni is doing for the 2026 alumni homecoming is centred around the vision and mission of the Lagos Business Alumni Association.

“The school doesn’t just train people and throw them into the world; they want the people to, first of all, impact their society, and their alma mater.

“LBS wants its alumni to impact each other, and their community; it’s all in a bid to action this mission and vision of the alumni association,” he noted.

Nkoli Okoli, chairperson of the president’s dinner organising committee, buttressed the fact that the alumni president’s dinner is geared towards getting people to interact, especially the young graduates of the institution with the older ones, in a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

“We’re set to mentor the younger people; hence, the theme for this year is leadership and resilience in the new frontier. It’s all about leadership and getting people to interact.

“The president’s dinner is like an informal setting, but its focus is basically on business and growth; and that’s why the theme is centred around leadership,” she said.

The leadership of the 2026/28 LBSAA reiterated that the forthcoming conference will bring together experts from different sectors to share practical tips that help people build successful businesses and organisations, and help them become good leaders and innovators who will grow the country’s economy.

Besides, the alumni are expecting over 500 people to grace the event physically and 800 people virtually.

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