Benin City, Nigeria…Activities leading to the 48th year birthday celebrations of seasoned civil rights icon and sociopreneur, Rev David Ugolor, in Benin City, are already in top gear.
Organizers have unveiled plans to use the occasion to introduce an annual inaugural public lecture series. For this year, the theme of the lecture would be: Shrinking civic space and need to explore innovation as panacea, with an erudite scholar, Dr. Sam Amadi, visiting fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja delivering the keynote address.
In a statement by Leo Atakpu, chairman organizing committee of the inaugural public lecture series, the inaugural lecture will serve two purposes. He said that even though the celebration is about Rev David Ugolor, the aura of the occasion will be seeking to explore and deepen discussions around the need to use innovation and innovative methods rather than arbitrary methods to open the civic space and make governance much more open, accountable and transparent.
“We have also decided to use the occasion to launch an endowment fund for the less privileged in Nigeria. The focus will be to empower indigent women and youth in Edo and Delta with relevant training and resources to assist them contribute to national development,” Mr. Atakpu said.
The inaugural lecture to be chaired by former Edo State Attorney General Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, is expected to draw dignitaries from far and near. They include Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, Edo state Executive governor, His Deputy, Rt. Hon (Comrade) Philip Shaibu and a retinue of his aids.
His Royal Majesty, the Ovie of Oghara, Noble Eshemitan, Uku Oghara N’ame, Orefe III, Edert Valborg, Consultant Conflict Resolution & Peace for Africa, Bread for the World, Berlin Germany, and many more to include friends and colleagues of Rev David Ugolor in his over 24-year sojourn as a Civil Rights activist and Sociopreneur.
David Ugolor, once a victim of politically motivated police brutality, survived a state-backed conspiracy to frame him with the crime of the murder of his close friend in order to eliminate him and permanently silence his advocacy for transparency in governance.
He has devoted much of his time and resources to fighting for victims of Human Rights abuse. His organization, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, fights for an Africa without poverty by focusing on accountability and transparency in resource governance, asset recovery and several other cross cutting issues.
