Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as well as her Botswana and Tanzanian counterparts, Festus Mogae and Jakaya Kikwete will tomorrow (Thursday) in Abuja, deliver goodwill messages at the Murtala Muhammed Foundation Annual Lecture in memory of former Head of State, the Late General Murtala Muhammed.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mrs Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, in a statement, said the event would feature keynote addresses from Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and Ms. Ayo Obe on the theme: “Towards Credible, Peaceful and Participatory Elections: Moving Nigeria’s Democracy Forward”.
She said there would also be goodwill messages from representatives of key observer missions to Nigeria including Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
She said the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, would also make a goodwill remark at the event.
She stated: “The gathering would be an opportunity to honour the memory of General Muhammed who on assumption of office in 1975 immediately instituted a Transition to Civil Rule programme which his successor in office, General Obasanjo followed through to fruition on October 1, 1979.
“The lecture series is a part of the MMF’s Good Governance and Policy Compliance Programme, which has since 1991 been established as a credible non-partisan platform for expert analysis and generation of recommendations on issues of national importance in Nigeria and the African continent.
“Interested members of the public are advised to register on the website to attend the one-day event holding in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”
