Island Club will mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence with a Lecture & Awards Night on October 2, 2025, in Lagos. Speakers include PLO Lumumba, Babatunde Fashola, Bolaji Akinyemi, and Wole Olanipekun, with awards to President Tinubu and past leaders
Island Club to Celebrate Nigeria @ 65 with Independence Lecture & Awards Night
The Island Club, Nigeria’s foremost social club, will host the Nigeria @ 65 Independence Lecture & Awards Night on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at the historic Peacock Hall, Lagos.
Announcing the event, the Club’s Honorary General Secretary, Aare Ayodele Bankole, KCOP, in a press release made available to newsheadline247, disclosed that the theme is “Nigeria and the African Reawakening: The Giant That Must Not Sleep.”
The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, a globally renowned Pan-Africanist, legal luminary, and thought leader.
Adding depth to the discourse will be a distinguished panel featuring Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, former Governor of Lagos State and Minister for Power, Works & Housing, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, CON, former Minister of External Affairs, eminent diplomat, scholar, and Special Guest of Honour and Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos.
According to Aare Bankole, the proceedings will be synthesised by Professor Eghosa Osaghae, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), who will serve as Rapporteur.
He added that the evening will climax with a prestigious Awards Ceremony honouring the Club’s Grand Patron, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, alongside past Grand Patrons who also served as Nigerian Presidents — General Yakubu Gowon, GCFR; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR; and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.
Aare Bankole stated further that the event will gather statesmen, policymakers, industry leaders, diplomats, and eminent citizens to reflect on Nigeria’s journey and Africa’s collective future. Attendance will be strictly by invitation.
For over eight decades, Island Club has stood as a beacon of unity, dialogue, and civic engagement. With the 2025 edition, the Club reaffirms its enduring role in shaping Nigeria’s destiny and Africa’s place in the world.
Read the Full Press Release
ISLAND CLUB HOSTS NIGERIA @ 65 INDEPENDENCE LECTURE & AWARDS NIGHT
As Nigeria marks her 65th Independence Anniversary, Island Club, Nigeria’s premier social club and custodian of national dialogue since 1943, proudly announces the Nigeria @ 65 Independence Lecture & Awards Night, scheduled for Thursday, 2nd October 2025, at the historic Peacock Hall, Island Club, Lagos.
In a release signed by the Honorary General Secretary of the Club, Aare Ayodele Bankole, KCOP, the theme for this year is revealed as:
“Nigeria and the African Reawakening: The Giant That Must Not Sleep.”
The lecture will examine Nigeria’s historic journey from colonial subjugation to statehood, and critically engage her central role in Africa’s political and economic resurgence within the global order.
The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, the renowned Pan-Africanist, legal luminary, and globally respected thought leader.
The discussion will be enriched by a distinguished panel including:
• Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, former Governor of Lagos State and former Minister for Power, Works & Housing;
• Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, CON, eminent diplomat, scholar, former Minister of External Affairs, and Special Guest of Honour;
• Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, LL.D, D.Litt, FICMM, FCIArb, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Lagos.
The deliberations will be professionally documented and synthesised by Professor Eghosa Osaghae, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), who will serve as Rapporteur.
The evening will culminate in a prestigious Awards Ceremony, dedicated exclusively to honouring the current Grand Patron of Island Club, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Club’s Past Grand Patrons who also served as Presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: General Yakubu Gowon, GCFR; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR; and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.
The 2025 Independence Lecture & Awards Night will convene statesmen, policymakers, captains of industry, diplomats, and eminent citizens in a distinguished assembly dedicated to Nigeria’s growth and Africa’s rebirth. Attendance is strictly by invitation.
For over eight decades, Island Club has remained a beacon of unity, dialogue, and civic engagement. With this 2025 edition, the Club once again reaffirms its enduring role in shaping Nigeria’s future and Africa’s place in the world.
Aare Ayodele Bankole, KCOP
Hon. General Secretary
