Soyinka at 85: Osaze-Uzzi, Salihu, Sesan, Sankore, join Ezekwesili to discuss Nigeria’s democracy

Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Amina Salihu, Senior Programme Officer, MacArthur Foundation; Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative; and Rotimi Sankore, Chair, Editorial Board, Nigeria Info Radio Group, will be discussants for the 11th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series and 85th birthday anniversary celebration of Wole Soyinka, Africa’s First Nobel Laureate in Literature, scheduled to hold on Saturday, 13 July 2019, by 10am, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

In a statement by the Coordinator, WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, the speakers will be joining Obiageli Ezekwesili, Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI) and Co-Founder of #BringBackOurGirls Movement, to speak to the theme, “Rethinking credible elections, accountable democracy and good governance in Nigeria”.

Alaka said organisers of the event, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), chose the theme to urgently reconsider Nigeria’s electoral process in view of its complexities, how to ensure that governance becomes accountable and propound ways to make the people emerge as the greatest beneficiaries of democracy in Nigeria, even as the country takes its place of leading the way for other African countries.

“The lecture is designed to raise debate on critical issues affecting Nigeria considering the crucial role of the media in a democracy. Admittance to the event, which started in 2008 and marks the birthday of Wole Soyinka, is open to members of the public,” the statement reads.