By Emmanuel Uffot
This year’s edition of Realnews Anniversary Lecture/ investiture ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday November 17, 2022.
The Anniversary Lecture which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the online general interest magazine will take place at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos by 12 pm.
According to the Publisher/ Editor of Realnews Maureen Chigbo, the anniversary lecture which will be followed by investiture of distinguished personalities into Realnews Hall of Fame will be chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Ebi, Group Managing Director of Futureview Financial Services Limited while the Guest Speaker will be Brigadier- General Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Similarly, those that would serve as discussants at the anniversary lecture are Otunba Lanre Ipinmisho, former Director General and member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Eradication of Drug Abuse ( PACEDA), Dr Dokun Adedeji, Director General Christ Ahainst Drug Abuse Ministry (CADAN) and Dr Nkemakolam Ndionuku, consultant psychiatrist and Medical Director Tranquil and Quest Behavioral Health.
The Theme of the 10th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews is ” Drug Abuse Among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Election”.
The publisher of the online magazine say the choice of the theme of the lecture and Brigadier General Marwa as Guest Speaker is informed by the growing cases of Drug Abuse among youths and the giant strides Marwa has made since assuming office as Chairman of NDLEA in 2021 with arrests of high profile Drug traffickers.
Chigbo says the anniversary lecture of Realnews was instituted in 2014 to celebrate the best minds in our society and tap into the repository of knowledge to enrich the discourse on national development.
The Guest Speaker at that maiden edition lecture which commemorated the 2nd anniversary of the online medium was Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman Independent Electoral Commission.
Consequently, the Guest Speaker for the 3rd anniversary lecture in 2015 was Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN), now Governor of Anambra State. 4th anniversary Guest Speaker in 2016 was Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representatives for West Africa and the Sahel.
In 2017 edition to commemorate the 5th anniversary, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, former Senior Economic Adviser, Africa Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI), former Vice- President Africa, World Bank and former Minister of Education was Guest Speaker while Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman Independent Electoral Commission spoke at the 6th anniversary edition in 2018.
Guest Speakers at the 7th and 8th edition in 2019 and 2020 were Mr John Mahama former Predident of Ghana and Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation respectively.
At last year edition which commemorated the 9th anniversary of Realnews, Engineer Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board was Guest Speaker.
Like the anniversary lecture, the Investiture into the Realnews Hall of Fame which always takes place immediately after the lecture, according to the Publisher of Realnews was instituted in 2015 to honour Guest Speakers, Chairmen, Discussants, Book Reviewers and Realnews Ambassadors.
Since inception, the Roll call of distinguished personalities inducted into the Realnews Hall of Fame include, Professor Maurice Iwu, former INEC Chairman, Mr John Mahama, former President of Ghana, Mr Alexander Cummings, Former President Coca Cola Africa Group, Professor Hogan Akpan Ekpo, former Vice- Chancellor University of Uyo and DG/ CEO West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management ( WAIFEM), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Late Dr Maikanti Baru, former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Ibrahim Idris, former Inspector General of Police, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC), and Professor Charles Soludo.
Others are, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, Ahmed Lawan Kuru, MD/ CEO Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria ( AMCON), Mr Robert Orya, Managing Director Nigeria Export- Import Bank ( NEXIM), Professor Joseph Ezigbo, MD Falcon Corporation Limited, Mr Benjamin Dikki, former Director General Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), Mallam Mohammed Hayatu- Deen, founder/ CEO Alpines Invests, Dr Abraham Nwankwo, former DG Debt Management Office ( DMO), Mr Alex Okoh DG BPE, Mrs Margaret Olele, CEO American Business Council, Dr Ngozi Anyaegbunam, President Media World, Dr Alero Roberts, College of Medicine University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Dr Mike Ihemaguba, Obgyu/ Family Practice, Statcare Urgent Care, New York, USA, Engr Simbi Wabote, Chief Oti Ikomi, founder/ CEO Proton Energy, Her Excellency Ms Samata Bukari, Counsel General, Ghana Counselate, Mrs Eyono Fatai- Williams, General Manager External Relations Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, Professor Chris Bode, Chief Medical Officer University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman Presidential Task Force on Covid- 19, Dr Mansur Muhtar, Vice- President, Islamic Development Bank and former Minister of Finance, Waheed Olagunji, Executive Director Small Scale and Medium Enterprises of the Bank of Industries, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman INEC, Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, Director Africa and Asia Regional Programme and Liason Office to the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr Charles Okeke, Dean School of Economics, The College of Nevada, Nevada System of Higher Education, Chaleston Campus, Las Vegas, USA, Mrs Comfort Coleman, MD NEKEGO Limited, Sir Eze Emecheta, MD Zevis Group and Mr Paul Ejime, Veteran journalist and International media and Communication Consultant.
Realnews which began on November 19 2012, is a general interest online magazine with special interest in oil and gas.
The publisher Maureen is an award winning veteran journalist who until she established the online magazine was the General Editor of Newswatch magazine.
In the course of her professional practice prior to being a publisher, she had attended many international media fellowship abroad one of which was The Harry Brittan Memorial Fellowship of the Commonwealth Press Union in United Kingdom.
She has also won several Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) and Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME).
