By Ken Afor
Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, a former Minister of External Affairs and the immediate past Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari, is billed to be honored with the prestigious Fellowship of the National Political Science Association (NPSA) during the association’s 34th annual conference at the end of this month.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the President of NPSA, Prof. Hassan Saliu.
The conference is scheduled for April 29th to 30th, 2024, at the Federal University Lokoja in Kogi State.
According to the statement, Gambari, who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) for Political Affairs, will be honoured alongside Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, a former President of NPSA and a former Minister of Information and Culture, Prof. Elochukwu Amucheazi, a former Pro-Chancellor and former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Others to be honored include Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo, a foundation member of NPSA and former Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union (EU), Prof. Tijjani Bande, former Director-General of NIPSS and a former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Istifanus Zabadi, former Commissioner and former Provost of the National Defence College in Abuja, and Prof. Marieatu Tenuche, Vice-Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University in Anyigba and a delegate to the National Constitutional Conference in 2014.
Meanwhile, the president of the NPSA, Prof. Saliu, who gave the theme of the conference as “Governance and Nation-Building in Nigeria: Options for Policy,” noted that the association firmly believes that the root cause of Nigeria’s major problems lies within governance, attributing the challenges of nation-building to flaws within the governance architecture.
He said: “Nigeria is currently facing some challenges. The cost of living is unbearable, so also is the security situation unnerving. The level of national unity and cohesion is nervous. The story is not different from the external sector where it is apparent that there is a reduction in the level of influence that the country enjoys in inter-state relations. Indeed, the list of the concerns is growing, as we note the efforts of government at all levels to steer the nation away from these concerns.
“As a body of intellectuals, our Association is equally worried about the shape of things in our nation. NPSA is also saying that both the theme and the conference itself are in keeping with its motto of promoting democracy for development.”
Therefore, political scientists are expected to delve into the two fundamental issues, with the aim of generating recommendations to aid policymakers in overcoming prevailing national challenges.
The event will be chaired by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Honorable Tajudeen Abbas, while the Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima (GCON), is scheduled to grace the occasion as the Special Guest of Honor. Dr. Kayode Fayemi (CON), immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, will deliver the keynote address while Professor Victor Adetula of the Department of Political Science at the University of Jos will present the lead paper.
Going by the programme, expected Special Guests of Honor include the National Chairmen of the three leading political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), senators, members of the House of Representatives, and other dignitaries. The Chief Host of the event is the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, with Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, serving as the host.
