By Hillary Asemota
The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Nuhu Yaqub, and former Chief of Army Staff Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), will on June 15 set agenda tone for President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his Vice, Kassim Shettima and the other newly elected members into different government positions.
The event is coming as part of 2023 Democracy Day lecture organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and scheduled for June 15, 2023, at Yanna, Plot 32 POW Mafemi Crescent Utako, Abuja.
According to the statement signed by NILDS management, the annual lecture aims to foster an in-depth discussion among key stakeholders and experts to reflect on Nigeria’s democracy and the state of the nation. Prof. Nuhu Yaqub, will serve as the chairperson of the lecture, which has the theme “Democracy and the state of the Nation: towards agenda setting for the new administration.” The session will be moderated by Prof. Attahiru Jega, the former Chairman of INEC.
Other notable participants in the discussion include Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), Prof. Okey Ibeanu, Prof. Rotimi Suberu, Prof. Anthonia T. Simbine, Prof. Mike Kwanashie, Barr. A. B. Mahmoud (SAN), and Barrister Ebere Ifendu.
Expected at the event include: the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and members of the National Assembly.
On the significance of the lecture, the Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, acknowledged the deep divisions among Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines that were evident during the 2023 general elections.
He highlighted the potential threats posed by ethnic and religious politics to the consolidation of democracy, citing examples such as the Rwanda Genocide and the war in Burundi, which resulted in extensive human casualties.
