Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited will hold its fifth Anniversary Lecture on Thursday, November 16, 2017. The lecture entitled, “African Leadership in a Turbulent Era” which will be delivered by Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili, former Nigerian minister of education, will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, by 10:00 a.m. prompt.

Ezekwesili, former vice president of the World Bank and co-founder of Transparency International, was last week, appointed democracy ambassador by the Swedish-based International Institute for Electoral Assistance, International IDEA. She is the first female to give the Realnews Anniversary Lecture series.

The Lecture will be chaired by Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpu, director general of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, WAIFEM.

Immediately after the lecture, a panel of discussants will leverage on the topic to speak on how leadership crisis is affecting different sectors in Nigeria and the way forward. The panellists are Mr. Ahmed Kuru, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, Mr. Waheed Olagunju, executive director, Bank of Industry (BOI), and Dr. Maikanti Baru, group managing director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Both the lecturer and all of the panellists have confirmed their attendance at the event.

Realnews choice of topic in 2017, according Maureen Chigbo, publisher/Editor, is informed by emerging global trend, especially the emergence of Mr. Donald Trump, as America’s 45th President, with Russia and China increasingly wielding more influence on Africa.

“There is also the looming threat of nuclear war in the Korean peninsula. This is coming at a time when African countries are struggling with ceaseless political and socio-economic turbulence, high youth unemployment and hundreds if not thousands of young people from the continent perishing in the Mediterranean Sea on perilous journeys to Europe in search of so-called greener pastures.

“From South Sudan where warlords appear bent on disintegrating the country, to the lingering Boko Haram insurgency in West and Central Africa, coupled with a rash of uprising by separatist groups including the Niger Delta militants and Independent People of Biafra in Nigeria and the increasing wave of terrorism in other parts of Africa, the prognosis looks bleak, to say the least,” she said.

Chigbo said that after the panel and interactive session, there will be an investiture into the prestigious Realnews Hall of Fame, exclusively reserved for only Guest Speakers, Discussants, Realnews Book Reviewers and Chairpersons at our Anniversary Lecture Series. Former inductees into the Realnews Hall of Fame are Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, United Nations Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel; Mr. Alex Cummings, Liberian Presidential Candidate; Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps; Ibrahim Idris, Nigerian Inspector General of Police; Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, founder and chief executive officer, Alpine Investments Ltd, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Maurice Iwu, former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr. Roberts Orya, managing director/chief executive officer of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Dr. Ngozi Anyaegbunam, president, Media World, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises and Professor Joe. I. Ezigbo, Managing Director, Falcon Corporation Limited.

“They (inductees) all played key roles during our anniversary Lectures and the induction into the Realnews Hall of Fame is just a token of our appreciation for the honour they did to Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited,” said Chigbo, publisher/editor of Realnews.

Realnews, a general interest magazine and an online publication which thrives on investigative journalism debuted November 19, 2012. It focuses on oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental challenges as well as issues relating to business and economy, politics, power, health, women and youth. Its aim is to unearth exclusive stories about real people and the challenges they are facing in their day-to-day activities. It does 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, its objective is to use its investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors it focuses on and produce an unbiased report which will actually influence the government and decision makers to take actions that will make the society better.

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