7th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series holds July 13

The 7th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series, scheduled for Monday July 13, 2015 by 1pm will hold at the Sheraton Hotel Abuja. The Lecture will have Malam Nasir El Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, former Minister of the FCT and former Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, speak on the theme 'Nigeria and the oil fortune'

This year, according to its organizers, the lecture event is organised in collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) to kick-start the partners’, Media for Oil Programme. The plan is to use the lecture to contribute to strategic thinking on charting a way forward to ameliorate threats on oil as the main stay of the Nigerian economy. We hope that the lecture helps decision makers and persons at every sphere of affairs again appreciate the need for the country to safeguard its future by implementing sustainable measures for its resource governance system.

“The Lecture series, whose maiden edition was hosted in 2008, was designed to periodically examine varying topical issues that have a reverberating effect on the perceived performance of the media on the health of our country, Nigeria, and its democracy. It is usually a well attended programme with a good spread of media professionals, civil society organisations, students, government officials, leaders of industries and members of the diplomatic corp.

“It has featured respected personalities like; Prof. Harry Garuba of the African Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Dr. Olatunji Dare, an Associate Professor of Journalism at Bradley University, Peoria Illinois USA and a former editorial page editor of The Guardian Newspaper; Prof Bayo Olukoshi of the UN African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UNIDEP); Malam Mohammed Haruna, the Executive Director of Tawada Media Limited; Prof Biodun Jeyifo of Harvard University; and Prof Abiola Irele, doyen of African literature as guest speakers.

“The tradition of holding the event on July 13, which this year is Professor Soyinka’s 81st birthday, started in 2009 in our bid to honour this illustrious global citizen even as we draw attention to current national issues.”