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Akunyili x-rays ethics at Champion lecture today
ADEZE OJUKWU
NIGERIANS
from all walks of life will converge today, at Abuja to x-ray issues bordering
on merit as the sixth annual Champion Better Society Lecture holds at the
Banquet Hall of Bolingo Hotel and Towers.
The lecture, entitled "The Challenge of
a New Nigeria: Ethics, Leadership and the Primacy of Merit," will be
delivered by the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili.
The ebullient Dr. Akunyili joins other
eminent scholars, including Prof. Isawa Elaigwu, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Dr. Kalu
Idika Kalu, Prof. Jubril Aminu and managing director of Nigerian Breweries Plc
Dr. Festus Odimegwu, as distinguished lecturers at the event organized by
Champion Newspapers Limited over the years.
The lecture, which is in keeping with the
company’s motto: For a Better Society, will, however, be chaired by Governor
Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State.
An array of intellectuals from the
presidency, states, National Assembly, diplomatic and business community are
expected to lend their experience and learning to x-ray the issues for a more
equitable polity which progress will be based on merit.
It is widely believed that the
intellectual menu to be served by Dr. Akunyili, and the assemblage of other
professional juggernauts, at the lecture, would go a long way in dissecting the
topical subject and proffering solutions to the myriad challenges confronting
the country’s desire for the right leadership that will engender a desirable
nationhood.
This year’s treatise has also received
widespread enthusiasm from several scholars and political activists, due to the
expectations and prospects for this nation which has witnessed several political
and labour crises in the last few months.
The popular lecture series commenced on
July 17, 1997 with no less an eminent personality than former Information
Minister and political scientists, Prof. Sam Ejire Oyovbaire, as guest lecturer
on the topic: "Democracy as a Model for Economic Development and National
Integration." Former Secretary to the government, Alhaji Shehu Musa, was as
chairman at the occasion.
The 1998 edition focused on "Nigeria" A
Rebirth for the 21st Century" with renowned political scientist, Prof. Isawa
Elaigwu of the Institute of Governance as the guest lecturer.
The third in the series held on May 20,
1999 and beamed the searchlight on "Issues in Nigeria’s Socio-Economic
Current: Moral and Ethical Values for the Nascent Dispensation." The lecture
was delivered by former Finance Minister, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu while former
Education Minister now Senator, Prof. Jibril Aminu lectured on
"Nigeria: The Challenges of Federalism."
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Festus Odimegwu, lectured on the
"Imperatives for Outstanding Corporate Performance within the Nigerian
Environment in 2002 in Port Harcourt.
In its 16 years of existence, as a leading
national newspapers, the company has consistently organised the lecture series
to address the country’s numerous socio-economic and political problems which
according to the management had undermined "the much-desired better society,
where equity, peace and transparent leadership are upheld."
Moreso, it is in furtherance of the
company’s media, political, and social advocacy roles, that the lecture series
are organised to "provide an intellectual platform for accomplished
personalities across the strata to critically explore the various dimensions and
implications of our nationhood with a view to proffering solutions and paving
the way for accelerated growth and development of the country and its citizens.
Chairman of this year’s organising
committee, Mr. Andy Ike-Ezeani, who is the Chairman of the Editorial Board of
Champion Newspapers Ltd, assured yesterday that the lecture, which is the first
to be held in Abuja, would attract a robust audience like most in the past.
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