The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, and Chris Bode, Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, have confirmed that they will attend the Realnews Eighth Anniversary Lecture.

Along with Kyari, Dr. Alero Roberts of the Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba and Dr. Michael Ihemaguba, a New York, United States-based medical doctor, who have also confirmed their participation, are discussants at the lecture.

Bode will chair the lecture, which will be delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF).

“Managing the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: The Nigeria Experience”, is the topic for the lecture which will hold on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, at 10am prompt.

In an era of dwindling price of crude oil, a major revenue earner for Nigeria, and investment in the oil sector, Kyari will discuss how he rallied stakeholders to support the efforts to manage Coronavirus pandemic in the country.

This year’s annual lecture will bring together policy and decision makers from the private and public sectors, academia and civil society, including the media.

Like in previous occasions, it will also feature a stimulating Panel Discussion by experts with guaranteed audience participation.

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 include President John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Vice President, Islamic Development Bank and Former Minister of Finance; Mr. Alex Okoh, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises; Mrs. Margaret Olele, Chief Executive Officer, American Business Council; Mrs. Comfort Coleman, Chief Executive Officer, Nekego Resource Limited; Mr. Paul Ejime an International Communications Consultant; and Sir Eze Emecheta, Chief Executive Officer, Elvis Group; Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Dr. Haroun Adamu, former chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund; Dr. Charles Okeke, Dean, School of Education, Behavioural & Social & Professor of Economics, The College of Southern Nevada, Nevada System of Higher Education, Charleston Campus, Las Vegas, United States; Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, Director, Africa and West Regional Programme and Liaison Office of the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Engr. Simbi Wabote, executive secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Dr. (Mrs.) Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and former Vice President, World Bank; 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 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 Maureen Chigbo, publisher/editor of Realnews.