The Rivers State Government said it has concluded arrangement to hold the 2nd annual memorial lecture of late Prof. Claude Ake in Port Harcourt, having held the maiden edition on 2011.
Briefing the press on the matter, the Commissioner for budget and Economic planning in the state, Mr. Charles Levi Gogo said the theme of this year’s lecture is “Combating The Resource Curse, Strategic for Economic Transformation”.
The Commissioner who said last years lecture was aborted due to logistic problems, promised that the 2013 edition will be hitch-free.
According to him, a guest lecturer in person of Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambers, former president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been invited to deliver a lecture on the theme.
Gogo said the essence of the lecture is to sensitize the people on the need to diversify the economy of Nigeria, which he said formed the major philosophy of late Prof. Ake when he was alive.
The commissioner stressed the need for one to live a credible life, so that he could be remembered when he leaves the world, citing Prof. Ake as an example of such industrious sons of the Niger Delta who distinguished themselves.
In his chosen career, the commissioner said the state government will use the event to institute a professorial endowment chair for late Prof. Ake.
The event billed for the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex on the 22nd Feb, 2013 will have other prominent Nigerians such as Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, member House of Representative, Dr. Ukoho Ukiwe of UNIPORT, among others, as discussants.
Prof. Ake a political economist, Activist and founder of the Rivers State College of Arts and Science (RIVCASS) died in a plane crash in 1996. ###
Barth Ndu
