Eminent Nigerian legal scholar, Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, will lead distinguished Nigerians on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in addressing the country’s pressing security challenges amid serious allegations by the United States of religious genocide targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The event is the Annual Lecture and Awards of Gavel International, a respected online newspaper founded by acclaimed journalist Mustapha Ogunsakin, with a focus on law and human rights development.
This year’s lecture is themed “The Impact of National Security Policies on Vulnerable Populations: A Human Rights Perspective.”
Scheduled to hold at the OPTS Hall of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The forum will bring together prominent lawyers, media professionals, and retired military officials. They will deliberate extensively and proffer actionable solutions to Nigeria’s ongoing security dilemmas that threaten national cohesion and peace.
The lecture will be chaired by the doyen of the Nigerian Bar, Chief Professor Wole Olanipekun SAN. Notable discussants include Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso; Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kayode Ajulo SAN; Major General James Ataguba (retd); and AIG Tunde Ogunsakin (rtd). Agriculture journalist Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye will also contribute by exploring the critical link between food security and national stability.
In a distinguished ceremony during the event, Gavel International will confer lifetime achievement awards on eminent Nigerians who have contributed significantly to the nation’s development in law, media, and business. Recipients include former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Dr. Attia Nasreddin, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, Dr. Oludare Bello, Mr. Richard Akinnola, and Mr. Lere Fashola.
Mustapha Ogunsakin, Publisher of Gavel International, explained the lecture’s critical goal is to foster greater public involvement in Nigeria’s security and safety efforts.
“The constitutional mandate for safety and security is paramount and non-negotiable. Every Nigerian must live free of fear—from kidnappings for ransom to forced displacement and terror attacks rooted in political or ethnic motives. This lecture seeks to propose practical steps toward resolving these crises,” he declared.
Gavel International launched its Annual Lecture Series in 2015, debuting with the book presentation of “For the Love of Their Nation: Lawyers as Agents of Change in Nigeria,” authored by Ogunsakin and presented by Prof. Osinbajo SAN.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the platform gathered leading legal and media experts to discuss the prospects and challenges of virtual court proceedings, featuring voices like Bode Olanipekun SAN, Femi Falana SAN, and Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, with Osinbajo again delivering the keynote.
Last year’s edition saw the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, deliver the keynote address. The main lecture was given by Mr. Dele Adesina SAN, former NBA General Secretary and Life Bencher. The event was chaired by renowned corporate lawyer Mr. Gbenga Oyebode MFR, focusing on “The Judiciary as the Last Hope of the Common Man: Media and Legal Perspectives.”
This year’s lecture promises to deepen the national discourse on security, human rights, and governance at a time when robust solutions are urgently needed to safeguard Nigeria’s unity and stability.
