6 July 2009
Lagos — In continuation of the celebration of the Awolowo Centennial, a Special Obafemi Awolowo Foundation Dialogue is being jointly organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
According to a statement signed by Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, this is intended to be a dialogue between Nigeria's youth and the generation of their parents and it is titled: 'The Awolowo Legacy and the Youth'.
The statement said it would take place in the Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in the next two weeks and is intended to encourage an open discussion of the Awo legacy in all its ramifications and its enduring relevance as a potent strategy for addressing the problems of Nigeria's underdevelopment.
Following two agenda-setting keynote addresses, presentations are structured to examine the philosophical underpinning of the Awo legacy, strengths, challenges and achievements from the past, present efforts to move the development agenda forward and, finally, a prescription of feasible strategies to move the vision into the future, in the light of current and predicted national and global challenges and opportunities.
The keynote addresses will be presented by elder statesman and key member of Chief Awolowo's legendary cabinet in the Western Region, Chief Anthony Enahoro, who will speak on 'The Making of a Legacy', and a young scholar, Dr Wale Adebanwi, who will speak on 'The Future of the Legacy: Challenges and Opportunities'. This will be immediately followed by a Governors' Roundtable on the theme, 'Sustaining the Legacy'.
There will be lunchtime presentations on each day, titled, 'The Transformational Impact of the Legacy: A Personal Account', and 'Awo's legacy & Entrepreneurship', respectively.
The 2nd and 3rd plenary sessions will each be led by Nigerians who understand the problems and the final session will be a Youth Forum titled, 'Towards a Brighter Tomorrow', and will be led by undergraduates from five universities, whose analyses will reflect their own generation's perception, awareness and hopes.
An award ceremony to honour some of those who have contributed immeasurably to the founding and development of Obafemi Awolowo University, an institution which is a quintessential legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is also part of the programme.
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