Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been announced as keynote speaker at the 16th Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe annual lecture scheduled to hold in Lagos on March 27.
The central theme of the lecture is “Rehumanising Human Experience: A Synopsis of Anyiam-Osigwe’s treatises.”
President Muhammadu Buhari was keynote speaker at the last edition held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on December 11, 2015.
Announcing the 2023 event, acting coordinator-General of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, George Anyiam-Osigwe, noted that the former UK prime minister joins the rank of global statesmen and women that have addressed the lecture’s eminent audience in the past.
The former mayor of London and former UK foreign secretary, through his Keynote address, is expected to offer solutions to some of the global challenges that are currently plaguing the world, stoking citizens’ frustrations and anger.
On the choice of Mr Johnson, the coordinator-general said the former PM was chosen for his courage, extensive and practical knowledge in confronting some world knotty domestic and global problems such as Brexit, COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war during his premiership.
“We considered him the right person to speak to the theme of Rehumanising the world. The world has gone through serious upheavals in the last two decades; from the civil war in Syria, political instability in parts of Africa, Brexit that has really tested United Kingdom and the entire European Union, trade war between China and America and the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the entire world for more than a year with attendant social and economic dislocation.
“Former Prime Minister Johnson is one of the active global leaders of the last decade who had to deal with some of these problems and led the world through a once-in-a-century pandemic. We are of the strong view that our country and the world can benefit from his experience and perspectives,” Mr Anyiam-Osigwe said.
