(PRESS STATEMENT)
Lagos, October 20, 2023 – Prominent Nigerians have confirmed their participation in the
Realnews 11 th Anniversary Lecture. They include Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director
of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ahmed Kuru, Managing Director, Assets Management
Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Kayode Adebayo, Director of Proceeds of Crime
Department, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and
Felix Obiamalu, Associate Director, Legal and Sanctions, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit
(NFIU).
Bello-Koko will chair the lecture, which will be delivered by Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director
General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West
Africa (GIABA) and also moderate the discussion session featuring Adedayo and Obiamalu as
discussants. Kuru will also keynote the Lecture.
Confirming his participation in his acceptance letter dated August 10, 2023, Bello-Koko,
expressed “his willingness to attend the event”.
Also, Kuru was “delighted to confirm his availability and acceptance to speak at the event as
proposed” in a letter to dated August 29, 2023.
The Management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, publishers of Realnews
Magazine Online, had announced that the lecture on “Threats of Illicit Funds Flow to the African
Economy” will hold at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, starting by
10 am.
Maureen Chigbo, the publisher of Realnews, said there will be an investiture of all the speakers
into The Realnews Hall of Fame immediately after the Lecture. Chigbo explained that the
Realnews Hall of Fame was established to honour only those who played key roles during the
anniversary lectures.
Realnews, a general interest magazine, is an online publication that thrives on investigative
journalism. We have expertise in reporting the oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental
challenges. We aim to unearth exclusive stories about real people and the challenges they are
facing in their day-to-day activities. We do this bearing in mind that government can only act to
influence the lives of people positively if they are aware of their true situation. Hence, our
objective is to use our investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors we focus on and
produce an unbiased report which will actually influence the government and decision-makers to
take actions that will make society better.
Realnews is populated by seasoned journalists who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of
the profession. The online publication believes that journalism as the fourth Estate of the Realm
can contribute its quota towards building a fair and just society where fundamental human rights
are respected and citizens have the freedom to pursue their interests anywhere in the world
without hindrance. Its editors have a combined experience of several decades in active
journalism practice and are highly dedicated to serving humanity. Hence its motto: “For God and
Humanity.”
Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series was established to commemorate the best minds in our
society and to tap from them to enrich the discourse in our national development.
The 10 th Anniversary Lecture in 2022 was given by Brig. General Buba Marwa, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; 9 th
Anniversary Lecture of Realnews in 2021 was delivered by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote,
Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on “Nigeria in
the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective”; 2020 Eighth
Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government
of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Managing
COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience; Former President John Dramani
Mahama of Ghana gave the 2019 Lecture on Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West
Africa while Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke on Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic
Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections at the 2018 Lecture. The 2017
Fifth Anniversary Lecture on African Leadership in a Turbulent Era was delivered by Dr. Oby
Ezekwesili, former minister of Education and former World Bank Vice President. The 2016
Fourth Anniversary Lecture on Security and National Development in Plural Democratic
Society was delivered by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Secretary General's
Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel; the 2015 Realnews Third Anniversary Lecture
was delivered by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) on November 19, 2015, under the theme: It’s The Nigerian Economy,
Stupid? The Second Realnews Anniversary Lecture on Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in
2014 was delivered by Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
E-Signed:
Maureen Chigbo
Publisher/Editor
