Nigeria, April 11 -- Academics, politicians, technocrats, journalists, and civil society leaders gathered in Abuja on Friday evening to honour veteran journalist, author and rights activist Chido Onumah, as he turned 60.

The event, held at the Shehu Yar'Adua Centre, was marked by warm tributes, intellectual discourse, and a shared reflection on Nigeria's democratic journey - all centred on a man whose life has been devoted to it.

The symposium was themed "Formation or Nation Building: Nigeria's Troubled Quest for a Modern Federal Republic," and brought together some of the country's most respected voices in democracy, media, and civil society.

Born in April 1966, Mr Onumah has built a career spanning more than three decades across jour...