Maiden Annual Advocacy Lecture

Maiden Annual Advocacy Lecture

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, respected professionals, esteemed colleagues, policymakers, members of the academia, dear students, and honoured guests, good morning.

It is indeed a great privilege and a profound honour for me to stand before you today as the Guest Speaker at this Maiden Annual Advocacy Lecture organised by the Nathaniel Atebije Foundation for Planning Advocacy. I consider this invitation not only as a professional responsibility but also as an opportunity to contribute to a very important national conversation, one that sits at the intersection of policy, space, and the lived realities of our people.

Before I proceed, permit me to make a brief but important clarification. I was provided with concept notes and expectations for this lecture. However, with due respect to the organisers, I have had to deviate substantially in order to properly engage the subject of the Renewed Hope Agenda from a physical planning perspective. I take comfort in the fact that I was also given the liberty to adapt and modify the approach as I deem appropriate. I therefore trust that, at the end of this lecture, I would have spoken to the intent of the organisers, while remaining faithful to what I consider the most meaningful and intellectually honest way to interrogate the subject before us.

Let me begin by sincerely commending the Nathaniel Atebije Foundation for its vision, foresight, and commitment to planning advocacy. In a country where development challenges are increasingly spatial in nature, manifesting in our cities, our infrastructure systems, and our environments, the role of advocacy cannot be overstated. Platforms such as this are essential for bridging the gap between knowledge and action, between policy formulation and practical implementation.