By Josh Brendan
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation(AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), is to speak
at a public lecture in New York hosted by the Center for Media & Peace Initiatives (CMPI) – a New
York-based media and policy think tank in special consultative status with the United Nations’
Economic and Social Council and affiliated with Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and
Administration.
According to a statement by Edmund Janniger
Vice President, CMPI, Malami, is scheduled to speak on “Tackling Corruption in
Africa: An Evaluation of Tested Models” on November 15, before an international audience of
different professionals including journalists, business leaders, students, civil society leaders,
scholars, and top diplomats.
A statement from the President of the Center, Nigeria-born scholar-practitioner, Dr. Uchenna Ekwo, indicates that the 2021 Public Lecture is expected to shed a spotlight on anti-corruption measures in Africa and
thereby educate the international community and Africans in diaspora about the changing face of
governance in the continent and mitigation efforts to minimize corruption in public places.
“Data from the Africa Union estimates that $140 billion is lost through corruption annually in the
continent, an equivalent of the GDP of all but five countries in Africa” a trend Dr. Ekwo stated is
unsustainable if Africa would solve its development challenges.
The event will be chaired by Dr. John Pavlik, the distinguished professor of Journalism and Media
Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University.
Among the special guests
are His Excellency, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the
United Nations and Robert A. Schwartz, MD, MPH, DSc (Hon), FRCP, Edin Professor and Head of
Dermatology Rutgers University Medical School along with some African Ambassadors.
CMPI’s lecture series is among the leading intellectual events of its kind – an occasion for a
prominent personality to present a serious lecture to an audience of some 200 guests – after they
have enjoyed about an hour of networking.
Guests look forward to the hush and silence of a packed room of colleagues and different professionals taking in the thoughts and experience of a figure of
stature and international recognition.
Among previous speakers at the CMPI Annual Public Lecture series include Gen. Kahinda Otafire,
Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Amb. Yuriy Sergeyev, the Permanent
Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations; Ambassador Awale Kullane of Somalia; Daniel
Metcalfe, Executive Director, Collaboration on Government and Founding Director, U.S. Department
of Justice Office of Information and Privacy; Prof. Tapio Varis, UNESCO Chair E-Learning and former Rector of University of Peace, Costa Rica; Mr. Will Stevens, Director of Public Affairs, Africa Bureau, US Department of State; Prof Humphrey Nwosu, former Chairman of Nigeria’s Electoral
Commission; Dr. Joseph Ketema, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services,
Republic of the Zambia; Dr. Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria.
Janniger can be contacted through info@cmpimedia.org or via Center for Media & Peace Initiatives P.O. Box 384 New York, NY 10163-0384.
