Nuhu Ribadu, Kayode Fayemi, Femi Falana, and Oby Ezekwesili are set to attend a symposium in Abuja marking the 60th birthday of veteran journalist and rights activist Chido Onumah. The event, themed "Formation or Nation Building: Nigeria's Troubled Quest for a Modern Federal Republic," will hold on Friday and bring together key figures in democracy, media, and civil society. Ribadu will attend as Special Guest of Honour, while Fayemi will chair the session. Yakubu Ochefu, National Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Universities Alumni (ANUA), will deliver the keynote address. Panelists include Ezekwesili, Falana, Samson Itodo of YIAGA Africa, and journalist Ebenezar Wikina. The session will be moderated by Amina Salihu of the MacArthur Foundation. Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of PREMIUM TIMES and a close associate of Onumah, will serve as Chief Host. Maupe Ogun-Yusuf of Channels Television will be Master of Ceremonies.
Chido Onumah has spent over three decades in journalism, activism, and advocacy across Nigeria, West Africa, North America, and Europe. He coordinates the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in Abuja and chairs the board of the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) in Scotland. He co-founded the MILID Foundation and coordinates the Socialist Library and Archives (SOLAR). He is also co-publisher of Ikengaonline, launched in March 2022. Onumah previously worked with The Insight in Ghana, the Panos Institute in Washington, D.C., and the EFCC in Nigeria. He holds degrees in Philosophy, Journalism, and Communication and Journalism. He is author of Time to Reclaim Nigeria (2011) and Nigeria is Negotiable (2012).
Chido Onumah's 60th birthday symposium draws figures like Nuhu Ribadu and Oby Ezekwesili—individuals who have occupied or challenged power—suggesting his influence bridges activism and governance. That Ribadu, once a controversial anti-corruption enforcer, will appear as Special Guest of Honour alongside Femi Falana, a persistent critic of state overreach, points to Onumah's rare ability to command respect across ideological lines. His career has not been about proximity to power but about creating spaces where power is questioned, documented, and held to account.
The symposium's theme—"Formation or Nation Building"—cuts to the core of Nigeria's unresolved identity. Onumah's work with CORA, SOLAR, and Ikengaonline reflects a lifelong investment in alternative knowledge systems and accountability structures outside official channels. His time at the EFCC and Panos Institute shows he engages institutions but does not depend on them. The presence of Yakubu Ochefu and Samson Itodo underscores how his vision aligns with a broader network of civic actors pushing for systemic transparency and democratic renewal.
For ordinary Nigerians, particularly young journalists and activists, Onumah represents a model of sustained, principled engagement. His career proves that influence can be built through writing, archiving, and coalition-building, not just political office. Those in Nigeria's South-east, where Ikengaonline is focused, may find in his work a blueprint for regional accountability journalism.
This gathering fits a quiet but persistent trend: the recognition of intellectual and moral leadership in a public sphere often dominated by spectacle and patronage.
