President Bola Tinubu, alongside former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, are expected as special guests at a national discourse convened by the Island Club, Lagos, to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
The event, slated for October 2, 2025, at the Peacock Hall, Lagos, will feature celebrated Pan-Africanist and global thought leader, Prof Patrick Lumumba, deliver the independence lecture with the theme, “Nigeria and the African Reawakening: The Giant That Must Not Sleep.”
Chairman of Island Club, Rotimi Martins, who disclosed this at a press conference on Wednesday, confirmed that Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will also attend the gathering.
The lecture will be followed by a high-level panel session featuring former Lagos State governor and ex-Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; former Minister of External Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi; and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, University of Lagos, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
The session will be moderated by the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof Eghosa Osaghae.
Martins said the calibre of participants underlined the importance of the conversation, which would critically reflect on Nigeria’s past, present and future.
He said, “It is an occasion for sober reflection on our journey from colonial subjugation to sovereignty, and a platform to assess Nigeria’s central role in Africa’s political, economic and cultural resurgence.
“We need to look back at our 65 years—where we have achieved progress, where we have failed, and what we must do differently to move forward.”
Martins recalled the historic role of the Island Club in Nigeria’s independence struggle, noting that it had long served as a melting pot for statesmen, Nobel laureates and national visionaries.
According to him, the discussion is aimed at inspiring change and provoking leaders into action.
“There is hardly anyone in the realm of power in Nigeria who is not a member of the Island Club.
“We want to provoke them, make them talk, and see what they intend to do about the issues facing the nation. This is a reawakening—reminding them of where we are, what we want, and the urgency for change.”
He expressed optimism that the forum would inspire fresh ideas for national renewal and contribute to Africa’s broader reawakening.
“We are bringing leaders together once again to provoke reflection and chart a path forward,” he added.
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