Abaribe, Na’Allah, others to discuss poverty at Azinge foundation colloquium

The chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Eyinnaya Abaribe, a former Vice-Presidential Candidate, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Deputy Majority Leader at the Nigerian Senate, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, will discuss solutions to poverty in Nigeria at the 2021 Epiphany Azinge Foundation webinar colloquium billed for March 1.

The webinar, scheduled to take place by 10.am via zoom, will have panelists from the various sectors discuss the theme: “Poverty Challenges in Nigeria.”

Other sub-themes include ‘Poverty and Welfare of Citizens;’ ‘Health and Poverty;’ ‘Poverty and Unemployment;’ ‘Poverty and Economic Policies;’ ‘Poverty: Law as instrument of social change;’ ‘Poverty Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria;’ ‘Gender and Poverty Index;’ ‘Crime and Poverty;’ ‘Poverty and COVID-19 pandemic;’ ‘Poverty and Food Security;’ ‘Legislating Social Security;’ ‘Poverty Index in Nigeria and Poverty and Youth.’

The keynote speaker is a former Commissioner of Finance, Imo State, Prof. Uwaleke Uchenna, while the panelists include a former Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association, Adam Osigwe; Vice President, Industrial Global Union, Comrade Issa Aremu; Chairman, Africa Highway E-Solution, Prof. Basil Odilim Enwegbara; Director of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Salma Anas-Koto; Professor of Virology and Biotechnology, Abdulsalam Nasidi; Professor of Law, University of Jos, Nnamdi Aduba.

Others are: Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Dean of Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria Nsuka, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo; Member, International Association of Human Rights Lawyers, Abraham Olukayode; Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Michael Opeyemi; Human Rights Advocate, Khadijah El-Usman and Principal Partner, Chris E. Onyemenam, Dr. Chris Onyemenam.

Participants are to join the conversation with the link: https://bit.ly/EAFC2020 Professor Epiphany Azinge was born into a prominent Asaba family and he made his early mark as a student of law. He graduated from the University of Lagos in 1976 with a Second Class Upper Division. He was called to the Bar in 1980.

With an insatiable quest for knowledge, and ever probing and questioning the law, he proceeded to the University of London for his Master’s degree in 1983, specialising in comparative constitutional law and shipping law. He graduated with a distinction. Azinge again proceeded to the highest academic qualification at the London School of Economics, and staying true to his academic dexterity, he delivered a genius Ph.D thesis on Electoral Laws in Nigeria.

He served as the Director of Research and Studies at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies before his elevation as the Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies from 2009 to 2014. He continued his teaching career briefly at the Baze University and later served at the US State Department as part of the International Visitors Leadership programme on Judicial Independence and Human Rights.

His thirst for the academia began as a lecturer at the University of Benin, where he taught over eight courses and supervised several projects, including PhD theses. He lectured at the University of Abuja, where he introduced the information technology law in Nigeria in 1996. He also lectured at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and was an external examiner of Ph.D dissertations at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the University of Jos in 2006 and the University of Kwazulu, Natal Durban, in 2008.