Nigerian Ambassador George Obiozor to Launch University of Virginia Lecture Series on Feb. 22

February 20, 2006 — The University of Virginia welcomes His Excellency George Obiozor, ambassador from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as the inaugural speaker in its Ambassador Lecture Series, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Sponsored by U.Va.’s Diplomat Scholar Program, the lecture series will feature international diplomats speaking to students and others in the University community about key political, economic, cultural and technological issues of global interest. The series will also provide a unique opportunity for students to talk informally with the special guests after the lecture. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Obiozor’s lecture, “The U.S. and Nigeria: A Complex but Vital Relationship,” will explore peacekeeping missions in Africa, the war on terrorism, drug trafficking and their relationship to oil production and consumption worldwide. The lecture will be held in the auditorium of the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature and Culture.

The lecture series was conceived by Leonard H. Robinson, Jr., U.Va.’s diplomat in residence since 2004 and a politics lecturer. Robinson is a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations as well as the president and CEO of the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa. In creating the lecture series, Robinson seeks to provide an academic forum for the U.Va. community as well as a safe, academic opportunity for world leaders to share their personal and global views on current international topics.

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