Buhari to Chair 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium Thursday

Gboyega Akinsanmi

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday chair the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium, an annual high-powered policy roundtable to mark the 66th anniversary of the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu.

Other eminent personalities including the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors, senators, ministers, political leaders and federal lawmakers, among others, will grace the summit scheduled to hold at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island.

The details of the colloquium are contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, noting that the 10th edition of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium would focus on a theme, “Investing in People.”

As contained in the statement, the colloquium, which would be hosted by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, would bring together stakeholders, including policy makers, academics and members of the civil society groups.
He said the colloquium would provide a talk shop for attendees “to tell the unique Nigerian story of what it means for the government to act as a social investor in the affairs of its people.

“It will ascertain whether the quest for the government to act as a social investor can be regarded as campaign slogan or a mere ideology with no incremental/socio-economic benefits.
“The gathering will debate whether government decision should be regarded as a necessary policy action which the country must embrace if she must witness any real development.”

Bello added that the yearly gathering “has become a veritable ground for sharing knowledge, experiences and information around socio- economic issues and addressing the common governance challenges confronting Nigeria.”

He explained the idea behind the Bola Tinubu Colloquium. He said it was conceived in 1999 by Tinubu’s close friends and associates, who felt that some of the very rich and stimulating intellectual debates that hallmarked some of the meetings at which he presided should be translated to a platform which would expand the conversation and lead to tangible outcomes.