The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, immediate past President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Peterside Dakuku are among the top dignitaries billed to speak at the
Intergenerational dialogue to herald the public presentation of the book, “The Urgency of Now”.
Others expected to speak at the event include founder/CEO of Cable Newspapers, Simon Kolawole, Ekiti State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Akin Oyebode, Singer, Filmmaker and Politician, Bankole Wellington, Humanitarian and brand strategist, Sally Suleiman and Chalya Shagaya.
The event, which will hold on Saturday, June 19 by 10:00am will be anchored by Journalist and communications strategist, Sulaiman Aledeh.
In a statement on Sunday, the writer of the book, Seun Awogbenle noted that the theme of the dialogue, “The Vision Nigerian Needs” is consistent with his argument in the book, that while vision is the purview of young people, there is a need for cooperation across generation and demography to identify common solution to our challenges and build consensus.
According to him m, “Beyond the need for intergenerational cooperation as an important requisite for visioning, I also think that this is a very sobering and challenging time for our country.
“There is a need for all of us to come together across ages, to demonstrate that for all our differences, we are all in this together, as men and women, young and old. We must show the world that we can pull back from the brink and put our country back on the path of progress.
“This time affords all of us an important opportunity to tap into the strength, inventiveness, and dynamism of young people, and leverage the depth and experience of the old order as the foundation for reimagining Nigeria. Above all, this is a time for truth telling and frank conversations. It is not a time for recrimination, blame game or name calling, we must rally ourselves to pull together through this time”, he noted.
Awogbenle concluded that he is confident that the dialogue will offer an opportunity for not just introspection but also offer ideas on the way forward for Nigeria at this critical time.
Awogbenle had in May announced the book, a 10 chapter piece that harped on the imperative of visioning, leadership, youth participation and active citizenship.
