The 13th edition of the Wole Soyinka Centre media lecture series to mark the 87th birthday of Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka will on July 13 in Lagos.
A press statement by Mrs Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO, Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), disclosed that the lecture will feature eight panelists on the theme – ‘Remaking Nigeria: Towards a secure and viable union’ at NECA Hall, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights activist, is the lecture chairperson, while Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun, Head Presentation, News Central TV, will be the moderator.
The panellists are Inibehe Effiong, Principal Counsel/Head of chambers, Inibehe Effiong Chambers; Hafsat Abiola-Costello, President, Women in Africa Initiative; Moses Ochonu, Professor of African History, Vanderbilt University; Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, Spaces for Change; Nubari Saatah, Editor, Freedom Press; Ndi Kato, Executive Director, Dinidari Empowerment Foundation; Ahmadu Shehu, Assistant Professor, American University of Nigeria; and Mrs Alaka.
According to the statement, the panellists are expected to discuss the theme to recommend workable proposals for some of the issues that ail Nigeria as a polity.
This 13th edition of the lecture will be delivered in collaboration with the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), and with the support of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation as part of the launch for the book – Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices, edited by Chido Onumah, Coordinator, AFRICMIL.
WSCIJ started the tradition of holding the event on July 13 in 2009 to honour Professor Wole Soyinka, its grand patron, who will be 87 this year.
Previous editions were attended by civil society representatives from non-governmental organisations, pressure groups, the organised private sector, government, the media, academic institutions, and the diplomatic corps. The WSCIJ will observe strict compliance to COVID-19 protocols during the event. Members of the public are welcome to attend the lecture.
