The Management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, publishers of Realnews Magazine Online, has announced that Edwin W. Harris Jr, Director General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), Senegal will deliver the Realnews 11^th Anniversary Lecture.

The lecture on “Threats of Illicit Funds Flow to the African Economy” will hold at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

The director general’s acceptance to deliver the lecture was communicated to Realnews in a letter dated September 25, 2023, that he personally signed. “With the immense interest I have generated in illicit financial flow from Africa and its negative impact on the governance, economies and other social facets of the African people, I am pleased to confirm my participation and graciously accept your invitation,” Harris Jr. wrote.

Harris Jr. has over 16 years of progressive experience in the public sector and in non-profit structures with in-depth knowledge and skills in governance, transparency and financial crimes. He has relevant skills on issues relating to governance, in the fight against money laundering, in the formulation of policies and the implementation of anti-corruption strategies. From November 2019 to July 2022, he was director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Liberia. Under his tenure and to his credit, he, among other things, successfully coordinated the validation and publication of Liberia’s National Risk Assessment (NRA) report. Until his assumption of duty at GIABA, Harris Jr. was a Lecturer at the University of Liberia.

The lecture will be chaired by Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, who will also moderate the panel session.

Realnews, a general interest magazine, is an online publication that thrives on investigative journalism. We have expertise in reporting the oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental challenges. We aim to unearth exclusive stories about real people and the challenges they are facing in their day-to-day activities. We do this bearing in mind that government can only act to influence the lives of people positively if they are aware of their true situation. Hence, our objective is to use our investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors we focus on and produce an unbiased report which will actually influence the government and decision-makers to take actions that will make society better.

Realnews is populated by seasoned journalists who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of the profession. The online publication believes that journalism as the fourth Estate of the Realm can contribute its quota towards building a fair and just society where fundamental human rights are respected and citizens have the freedom to pursue their interests anywhere in the world without hindrance. Its editors have a combined experience of several decades in active journalism practice and are highly dedicated to serving humanity. Hence its motto: “For God and Humanity.”

Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series was established to commemorate the best minds in our society and to tap from them to enrich the discourse in our national development.

The 10th Anniversary lecture in 2022 on “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections” was delivered by Brig General Buba Marwa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; 9^th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews in 2021 was delivered by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on “Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective”; 2020 Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Managing COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience; Former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana gave the 2019 Lecture on Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West Africa while Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke on Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections at the 2018 Lecture. The 2017 Fifth Anniversary Lecture on African Leadership in a Turbulent Era was delivered by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of Education and former World Bank Vice President. The 2016 Fourth Anniversary Lecture on Security and National Development in Plural Democratic Society was delivered by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel; the 2015 Realnews Third Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on November 19, 2015, under the theme: It’s The Nigerian Economy, Stupid? The Second Realnews Anniversary Lecture on Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in 2014 was delivered by Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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