Claude Ake Memorial Lecture Holds, Today

The first memorial lecture in honour of Prof Claude Ake would be held today. Former President of Bostwana and recipient of the Mo-Ibrahim African Leadership Award, His Excellency Festus Mogue will deliver the key lecture.

The event, which would boast of who is who in academics, business and politics will be held at the auditorium of the Rivers State House of Assembly and would be chaired by the country Director of World Bank, Mr Onno Ruhl.

The key lecture, Doom to Boom: Re-Engineering and Political Economy Of Rivers State For Citizens Prosperity: Lessons From Bostwana is geared towards mirroring the country’s challenges and localising success recorded from the South African nation, according to the chairman of the organizing committee, Hon Gogo Levi Charles.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning stated that the lecture would be an annual event and instituted by the Rivers State Government to celebrate the late Professor of Political Economy who died in a plane crash in 1996.

He added that this administration was sensitive to the feelings and yearnings of its people, hence, has considered it  fit to honour the intellectual icon.

In the same vein, Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari said the event would provide a platform for discourse geared towards addressing the problem of the region and borrowing experience from Botswana.