Saraki to address Chevening Alumni on economy

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will on Friday in Lagos discuss the nation’s economy as he delivers the “Welcome Address” at the inaugural Chevening Alumni Leadership Summit and Reunion Gala.

The event billed for 8am at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, according to a letter of invitation by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, will bring together Chevening leadership Alumni from across the country to deliberate on the theme: “The Economic Prosperity of Nigeria and the role of Chevening alumni in contributing to economic growth.”

Arkwright in a letter to the Senate President, stated that the programme is being hosted by the British High Commission in collaboration with the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria.

“This 1st edition will see Chevening alumni experts discussing a range of economic issues and working together to develop practical contributions to the further development of Nigeria’s economy,” Arkwright stated.

“The summit also aims to facilitate break-out sessions by geo-political zones, in which alumni and selected external participations can share views and experiences to better understand the economic development issues pertinent to these regions and to develop partnerships through which alumni can play a leading role in developing positive solutions”, he stated.

Some notable Nigerian Chevening alumni expected at the summit, the High Commissioner stated, include John Momoh (CEO of Channels TV), Adesola Adedutan (CEO, FirstBank Group), Herbert Wigwe (CEO, Access Bank Plc), Dapo Okubadejo (Partner and Africa Head, Deal Advisory and Private Equity), and Sani Mohammed (Commissioner of Budget and Planning, Kaduna State).

Others are: Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi (former Minister of Youths and Sports), Habibat Lawal (Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund), Amina Oyegbola (Human Resource Executive, MTN Nigeria), Viola Graham-Douglas (Director of Communications, Larfarge West Africa) and Ibrahim Pam (Head, Institutional Integrity, Green Climate Fund).

Besides, the High Commissioner noted that Chevening is the UK government’s flagship global scholarship programme aimed at individuals with strong academic and leadership potential, to study for a fully-funded Masters programme in the UK.

“With a powerful, global alumni network of more than 45,000 including 1,144 in Nigeria, the Chevening programme started in 1984 with a mission to empower and forge lasting relationships with future leaders towards the mutual prosperity of the UK and beneficiary countries,” Arkwright stated.