Alex Enumah in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other presidential candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections will on Thursday, November 22, 2018, meet at the NAF Conference Center and Suites, Abuja, over the biting socio-economic challenges in the country.
The event tagged ‘Nigeria Rising! It’s Time: Establishing Social Accountability between the Electorate and Leaders’ under the Second Edition of The Osasu Show Symposium is organised in partnership with One Campaign, an international, non-profit, advocate organisation that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
The event which is geared towards achieving inclusive, transparent and accountable governance in the country will on one hand provide the presidential candidates an opportunity to show their competence and vision for the people, while it will on the other equip voters to make informed decision.
Other presidential candidates billed to feature in the debate include, Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Donald Duke; the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) Presidential Candidate, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; the Presidential Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Kingsley Moghalu, amongst others.
The Convener of The Osasu Show Symposium, Miss. Osasu Igbinedion, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said, “In view of the current socio and economic challenges in Nigeria, it has become imperative for leaders and citizens alike to rise and strive for inclusive, transparent and accountable governance”.
While noting that the theme of the 2018 edition of the symposium is apt as the 2019 general elections is just by the corner, she said, “This is an avenue to identify who the ideal “people’s candidate” is and ways to establish social accountability when such individual takes office”.
Other dignitaries expected at the event include the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima; Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
The Osasu Show Symposium is a forum where key stakeholders from the public, private and development sectors converge to discuss salient issues regarding nation building and sustainable development as it pertains to the welfare and livelihood of the citizens.
The specific objectives of the symposium includes: structure constructive engagement spaces among governments, private sector, civil society and citizens; fortify citizens’ participatory inclination towards helping government and public sector institutions solve problems as it affects the extreme poor and marginalised population; identify feasible ways of bridging the infrastructure gap in the country and ensure equitable citizen involvement in resource mobilisation and allocation, among others.
