Obasanjo, Osinbajo to Speak on 50 Years after Biafra

A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and seven other leaders will on Thursday speak at a conference on the ‘Memory and Nation Building – Biafra: 50 Years After.’

At the one-day conference, which would hold at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja by 9a.m., Osinbajo is expected to deliver a keynote address.

A statement by the Foundation listed other speakers as a former Permanent Secretary, Ministries of Information, Education and Industry, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, President General Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, and Professor John Stremlau of the University of Witwatersrand will serve as lead speakers.
Hon. Chudi Offodile and Nkoyo Toyo will chair panel discussions and Professor Pat Utomi will serve as the conference moderator.

The statement said: “The 50th anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Biafra in 1967 offers an opportunity for sober reflection on a number of issues including lessons learned that may be useful in dealing with contemporary challenges confronting Nigeria.

A Cultural Night will feature performance poetry and a screening of Afia Attack – the untold “survival stories of women during the civil war. “The Yar’Adua Foundation was established to honour the legacy of one of Nigeria’s foremost leaders. “The foundation’s mission is to promote national unity, good

governance and social justice by creating platforms to engage citizens, policy makers and stakeholders in national conversations that foster an inclusive and prosperous Nigeria.”