The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, is billed to deliver the 2022 edition of TheNiche Newspapers Annual Lecture at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The theme of the 2022 TheNiche Newspapers lecture is: “2023 Elections and the Future of Nigeria’s Democracy.”
This was contained in a statement by TheNiche Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Ikechukwu Amechi, on Thursday in Lagos.
Fashola, a former Governor of Lagos State is expected to dissect issues bordering on the future of Nigeria’s democracy at the event scheduled for September 8.
The 2022 lecture would have as Chairman 96-year-old Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, veteran First Republic politician, human rights activist, former Liaison Officer to late President Shehu Shagari and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum.
Amechi said: “The choice of both the lecturer and chairman was a product of painstaking deliberations.
“But besides the two tested democracy giants, a panel of five discussants drawn from the academia, media, civil society, political class and the INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) will interrogate Fashola’s lecture in real-time.”
The panellists expected include Prof. Victor Chukwuma, Fellow, Astronomical Society of Nigeria and Nigerian Institute of Physics; and Martins Oloja, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian.
Others are Dr Dakuku Peterside, former Director-General NIMASA; Ene Obi, Country Director ActionAid Nigeria and Convener, Situation Room; and Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
The discussions would be moderated by erudite scholar, Prof. Anthony Kila, experienced lecturer and public speaker, Jean Monnet professor of Strategy and Development and Director at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies.
