Annual Awolowo Memorial Lecture on March 6 will explore ethical leadership, governance, and social transformation in Nigeria and Africa.
The Obafemi Awolowo Foundation has announced plans to hold its 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture on Friday, March 6, 2026.
The annual lecture is bided to take place by 10:00 a.m. at the historic Efunyela Hall, with the theme, ‘Politics as Future-Making: Awolowo and Leadership as Theory of Action’, drawing scholars, statesmen, professionals and members of the public from across the country and beyond.
According to a statement signed by the Foundation’s Executive Director, Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, the theme reflects the urgent need for visionary, ethical and purpose-driven leadership in Nigeria and across Africa.
She noted that “the lecture will interrogate the enduring relevance of the political philosophy of Obafemi Awolowo, particularly his conception of leadership as disciplined, people-oriented and anchored in social transformation.
“The event will be chaired by elder statesman and diplomat, Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Guest Lecturer is Professor Wale Adebanwi, Presidential Penn Compact Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, who is expected to situate Awolowo’s ideas within contemporary debates on governance, democratic responsibility and national development.”
The Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture is the Foundation’s flagship annual programme, established to sustain critical engagement with the ideas, values and public policy legacy of the late sage.
Over the years, it has become a prominent intellectual platform for conversations on democratic governance, social justice and human development in Nigeria and beyond.
