LEADING Nigerians abroad under the banner of a US-based foundation and their friendly international associates and foundations are collaborating with the Federal Government to host a historic 50th Independence Anniversary celebration in New York next month.
It will hold at the world-class Waldorf Astoria Hotel, on the evening of September 23, according to the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) and the Nigeria Mission to the United Nations.
President Goodluck Jonathan will be the keynote speaker at the compelling gala to mark the nation’s Golden Jubilee.
The celebrations would be held on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, which is expected to draw well over 100 world leaders, including President Jonathan, who is already listed by the UN as one of the early speakers at this year’s world summit of the General Assembly.
Nigerian Governors and ministers are also participating at the US-based independence celebrations including Governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Peter Obi of Anambra State, and the Ministers of Education and Health, Professors Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa’i and Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu respectively.
Highlights of the 50th Independence celebrations in New York include a day-long symposium entitled, ‘Nigeria at 50: Education… The Imperative for Nigeria’s Future,’ before the gala and dinner on the same day.
Dr. Ferdinard Ofodile, an award-winning American plastic surgeon and Professor of Medicine at the prestigious Columbia University in New York, said the NHEF is collaborating with the Federal Government through Nigeria’s Ambassador and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Joy Ogwu, to organise events.
Ofodile, who is also the Vice President of the NHEF, explained that the foundation wants to use the opportunity of the 50th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria to raise awareness about higher education in the country.
It is also to highlight the need for continuous collaboration between Nigeria and her international friends to ensure that federal universities fulfil their objectives in the country.
NHEF, formed in 2004 by a group of top Nigerian professionals in the US, and is currently led by notable New York investment banker, Wale Adeosun, actively raises money and uses its base here in the US to create international linkages for some federal universities in Nigeria.
Lorrete Nixon, the Executive Director of the foundation, in a press release over the weekend, said that the anniversary celebrations in New York would also feature renowned international economist, Professor Jeffrey Sachs of the Columbia University ’s Earth Institute and Mr. Fred Hochberg of the US Export Import Bank.
Others are lgwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (Agbogidi), Obi of Onitsha; the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro and his counterpart from the Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha; Ambassador Bunu Sheriff Musa, Chairman, Ahmadu Bello University Governing Council and other distinguished participants from Nigeria, the US and around the world.
At the Gala, following the symposium, the NHEF will host an Annual Awards, where US-based Nigerian, Mr. Jide Zeitlin, an Obama nominee as US Ambassador to the UN and notable investment banker in the US, Mr. Jonathan Fanton of MacArthur Foundation and US Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, would be honoured.
It is at this gala that President Jonathan will deliver a keynote address.
It was Jonathan Fanton, as the head of the MacArthur Foundation, who announced the donation of a major $250,000 grant to the UI in 2005, and also provided seed money for the takeoff of the NHEF in 2004.
Since then, the NHEF has been raising international support through funds and programmes for Nigerian universities.
The press released stated that “the events are a reminder of how important higher education is and how seriously Nigerian officials and its international supporters are in assisting these institutions (to) reach their goals.”
It noted that the symposium would serve as a forum for exchange of ideas about the role of education in accelerating the economic development of Nigeria.
The talkshop will feature presentation on topics such as:
• Altering the trajectory of cultural, health and economic development in Nigeria through education.
• Are Nigeria’s institutions of higher education relevant to Nigeria’s development in the 21st Century?
• Capacity building in Nigerian Universities — The case for links between business-education-government and the global campus as incubator.
Also, according to the release, “like much of the continent, many African nations are preparing to celebrate their 50th year of independence, but not many of them will do it at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City with the nation’s president in attendance.
The NHEF, which is composed of several high-flying US-based Nigerian medical doctors, lawyers, bankers, academics and other professionals, “seeks to promote excellence in higher education in Nigeria.”
This it does by raising awareness about the role of Nigerian universities in the social, economic and political development of the nation, as well as introducing a broad base of organisations, donors and professionals to these institutions.
Currently, NHEF is working with various universities in different capacities but its initial focus is on five federal universities including Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, University of Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
