By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who also doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, will deliver the Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews Magazine on Thursday, November 19, at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.
The lecture themed, “Managing the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience,” is billed to start at 10 am.
Maureen Chigbo, publisher of Realnews Magazine Online, said the choice of the 2020 topic was borne out of the devastating effect of the coronavirus global pandemic on every sector – health, business and economy, oil and gas and socio-politics worldwide and the spirited effort of the Nigerian government to curtail the spread of the disease in the country.
“Against all predictions that Africa will see millions of dead people in the street as a result of COVID-19, this has not happened. The lecture is expected to reveal what African governments and Nigeria in particular, did to avoid deaths on a massive scale as predicted,” Chigbo said in a statement on Friday announcing the lecture.
“The fact remains that at present many Nigerians are still very skeptical about the management of the COVID-19 and its dire consequences in the country if not properly handled. Mustapha will be able to leverage on the lecture to tell the story of managing the pandemic as the chairman of the PTF directly to a vast audience from different works of life, thereby bringing government directly to the people and letting them in on the effort of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to transform the health sector of the country and improve the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“Also, the lecture presents an opportunity for different health experts to share their experiences on health sector development with a mix of the growing audience following Realnews Magazine services on various media platforms. The Lecture is expected to have massive positive impact on the society.”
Chigbo further said this year’s lecture will follow in the footstep of previous ones featuring a panel discussion by health and economic experts with guaranteed audience participation.
Born in North Eastern Nigerian state of Adamawa, Mustapha attended primary school in Hong, Adamawa State, and proceeded to North East College of Arts and Sciences in Maiduguri, Borno State, for his high school education and graduated in 1976. He bagged a Bachelor of Law Degree in 1979 from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, for the mandatory one-year law school and graduated in 1980 before doing the mandatory national youth service between 1980 and 1981.
Appointed to his current position on October 20, 2017, the 63-year-old workhorse, is the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and is involved in the policy directives used in managing the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Realnews past anniversary lecturers include President John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana (2019); Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria INEC, (2018); Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and Vice President, World Bank (2017), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head, United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (2016); Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, (2015), and Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, (2014).