The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, has announced that its seventh National Discourse will hold in Lagos on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the Media, Publicity and Digital Mobilisation Sub-Committee, Prof. Tunde Akanni, and the Secretary, Mr Tajudeen Balogun, the event will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka.
Themed “Nigeria’s Political Landscape and the Ethno-Religious Divides,” the discourse will bring together political leaders, academics, policymakers and other stakeholders to examine issues surrounding Nigeria’s democracy and national cohesion.
Former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, will chair the event, while Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole is expected to deliver the keynote address.
Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salis and the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Kadiri Hamzat, will attend as Special Guests of Honour, while the Olota of Ota, Oba AbdKabir Obalanlege, will serve as the Royal Father of the Day.
The keynote lecture, titled “Interrogating Nigeria’s Democracy in the Context of Multiple Diversity,” will be delivered by former Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Prof. Liasu Jinadu.
The organisers said the event is expected to attract government officials, business leaders, public and private sector policymakers, academics, members of civil society organisations, students and other participants from across the country.
They also disclosed that a free medical screening for interested participants will be conducted ahead of the main programme.
The Companion noted that the previous edition of the National Discourse was held in Abuja on August 10, 2024, under the theme “Between Patriotism and Self-Preservation.”
The 2024 event was chaired by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, while the lecture, “Dilemma of the Nigerian Youth: Challenges at Home, Uncertainties Abroad,” was delivered by the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, with support from former University of Abuja Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah.
