By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Ltd., publishers of Realnews Magazine Online, says Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will deliver the Realnews 10th Anniversary Lecture.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture, billed for Nov. 17 in Lagos is tagged: “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Election”.
Ms Maureen Chigbo, Publisher/Editor of Realnews Magazine in a statement on Monday, said that Marwa’s acceptance to deliver the lecture was communicated to the organisation in a letter signed by Lt.- Col. M.I. Aminu, military assistant to Marwa.
She said that the lecture would be chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Ebi, Group Managing Director of Futureview Financial Services Ltd., who would also moderate the panel session.
Chigbo said the 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.
According to her, Marwa, a former military administrator of Lagos State, and a renowned national and international security expert, is a force to reckon with in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
“The NDLEA under Marwa’s leadership has waged an exemplary war against illicit drugs in the country with demonstrable strategy and effectiveness in tackling transnational drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs among Nigerians, especially the youths.
“He has made strides in transforming the NDLEA, including the arrest and prosecution of high-profile cases.
“Under his leadership, the NDLEA has shown that there are no “sacred cows” in the fight against criminality,” Chigbo said.
The publisher said that Realnews remained an online publication that thrived on investigative journalism.
He said that the media outfit had expertise in reporting the oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental challenges.
She said: “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.”
According to her, Realnews is populated by seasoned journalists who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of the profession.
She said that the online publication believed that journalism as the fourth Estate of the Realm could contribute its quota toward building a fair and just society where fundamental human rights are respected and citizens had the freedom to pursue their interests anywhere in the world without hindrance.
Chigbo said that editors in the organisation had a combined experience of several decades in active journalism practice and were highly dedicated to serving humanity ,”Hence its motto: For God and Humanity.”
The editor recalled that the ninth 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.”
She recalled that the Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews in 2020 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” .
Chigbo said that former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana gave the 2019 Lecture on Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West Africa.
He added that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu of INEC spoke on Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections at the 2018 Lecture.
She said that the 2017 fifth anniversary lecture on “African Leadership in a Turbulent Era”, was delivered by Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a 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 Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Nov. 19, 2015, with the theme: “It’s The Nigerian Economy, Stupid?
“The second Realnews anniversary lecture on “Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in 2014″ was delivered by Prof. Maurice Iwu, former chairman of INEC,” Chigbo said.
(NAN)
