The Founder of Human Capital Africa, and a former Minister, Dr Oby Ezekwesili has accepted the role of keynote speaker at the 7th edition of annual lecture of Penpushing Media, scheduled to hold July 31, 2025 at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential library, Abeokuta.
Chairperson of the anniversary lecture, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi made this known while speaking with journalists, adding that Ezekwesili has equally confirmed that she’ll be physically present at the event.
She added that the keynote speaker will deliver the lecture with the theme, ‘Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism, Perspective on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism’, adding that in the same vein, four intellectuals will be joining her as panelists at the event.
The keynote speaker commended the editorial board and planning committee of Penpushing Media, owner of online newspaper and television for the foresight and relevance in the media industry.
Ezekwesili served as a Federal Minister in Nigeria, held two ministerial positions: first as the Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and later as the Federal Minister of Education from June 2006 until she joined the World Bank in May 2007
She is a Chartered Accountant and former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa overseeing more than 1,500 staff with responsibility for the delivery of projects, economic and sectoral work in 47 Sub-Saharan countries with a lending portfolio of nearly $40 billion.
The keynote speaker is a Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative at Open Society Foundation, advising nine reform-committed African heads of state on their economic development strategy, policies, and implementation.
Ezekwesili is on the board of Bharti Airtel, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the School of Public Policy of Central European University, The Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy, New Africa Magazine,
The others include Center for Global Leadership at Tufts University, and Global Advisory Board of Facebook’s Community Leadership Program, and a member of Board of Directors of the Economic Policy Think Tank, AfriHeritage Institute, member of The Global Board of Governors, NCMG International, member of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s Advisory Group on Gender, Forced Displacement and Protection, and member of the Advisory Board of the Atlantic Dialogues.
She was in 2014 selected as one of the British Broadcasting Corporation 100 Women, TIME Magazine 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015, and Genius: 100 Visions of the Future by the Albert Einstein Foundation in 2017.
Ezekwesili has a long history of socio-political activism under her belt as evidenced in her work as good governance advocate starting from her days as a young professional in the late ‘80s, as member and first woman to Chair The Concerned Professionals Citizens Movement which championed democracy in the ‘90s, and advocate to end military rule and restoration of the annulled presidential election of Moshood Abiola.
She co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls pressure group in 2014 raising global awareness for the rescue of over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in Borno, while the group’s activities continue to be a reference point in the struggle to ensure all the girls kidnapped by terrorists in Nigeria’s North East region are reunited with their families.
The keynote speaker is the Founder and Convener of the #RedCardMovement (RCM), a citizens centered advocacy movement which started organically in January 2018, the movement was borne out of citizens’ determination to end the recurrent plague of bad governance in Nigeria regardless of which political party has held sway at national, state, and local government levels.
She is the founder of SPPG (School of Politics, Policy and Governance
(SPPG); also co-chairs the #FixPoliticsInitiative, which established the school and a prominent figure known for her work in education, governance, and human capital.
