The British Broadcasting Service, BBC will on the 4th of February host the first edition of BBC world question in Lagos at MUSON Centre (The Musical Society Of Nigeria).
The Broadcasting Commission made this know in a release made available to BONews on Wednesday.
According to the release, the event which is an hour long debate will allow the public to ask politicians, leaders and opinion formers questions on governance, security amongst other pressing issues face to face
“The BBC World Service is hosting debates across the world. In an hour-long programme, ‘BBC World Questions’, the public is free to question politicians, leaders and opinion formers face to face. The debates are led entirely by these questions from the audience who are able to have their points heard around the world,” the release read.
Giving a highlight of issues to be discussed the release pointed out issues surrounding insecurity and unemployment as the main point of discus
“Nigeria is one of the world’s largest oil producers, a leading nation in Africa and the continent’s most populous country. It has a recently re-elected civilian government, the President has given a commitment to democracy, and decades of military rule ended twenty years ago. But Jihadist attacks and separatist movements threaten parts of the country and the government is challenged with establishing security to encourage more foreign investment. Unemployment is a big issue, as is how to get the best from the country’s natural resources,” the release further read.
The event which will be moderated by BBC’s Toyosi Ogunseye will be joined by a panel of leading politicians and opinion formers for a public debate in Lagos.
Speaking on the forth coming event, Stephen Titherington, Senior Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service English pointed out that the program will the world to understand what matters most in Nigeria
“This is a programme where Nigerian people question the country’s leading political thinkers, and with a leading BBC journalist who is herself Nigerian in the chair. This is the perfect chance for the world to understand what matters most to one of the world’s most rapidly changing countries,” he said.
Also applauding the development is Lucy Pearson, Director of the British Council in Nigeria, who explained that the debate will generate space for open and independent debates
Expressing her excitement, Pearson said “We are delighted to be partnering with the BBC World Service in bringing World Questions to Lagos. This programme generates space for open and independent debates, which supports our work to promote cultural relations among people worldwide. We believe that connecting people both in Nigeria and globally makes a powerful and lasting contribution to a more open and connected world.”