Posted by By Sun News Publishing on
The 180th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO would meet today (Monday) 13th October, 2008 in Paris France, to take a final decision on the establishment of a category two institute in Nigeria.
The 180th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO would meet today (Monday) 13th October, 2008 in Paris France, to take a final decision on the establishment of a category two institute in Nigeria.
Already,Osun State Governor; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has arrived Paris, France leading a very powerful delegation of government officials to the epoch making meeting, the outcome of which will interest Nigerians back home.
Prince Oyinlola, who was received on arrival at the Charles de Gaule International Airport, Paris, France on Sunday by Nigeria's ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Prof Michael Omolewa, told newsmen that he was optimistic that the decision would favour his administration's resolve to have the centre in Osogbo.
It would be recalled that a controversy recently erupted between Governor Oyinlola and Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka over the establishment of the institute and the allegation by the Nobel Laureate that Oyinlola had donated the archives of Ulli and Georgina Beier to the Olusegun Obasanjo Library in Abeokuta.
The governor denied this allegation by Soyinka, a situation which degenerated to the two vowing that they would meet in Paris this month at the UNESCO board meeting to determine who would eventually win the battle of wits.
As at the time of writing this report however, Prof Soyinka had not been seen in Paris -less than 24 hours to the consideration of the matter
There are 58 member countries of UNESCO on its Executive Board which implements policy issues decided by the Geneal Conference: The 193 member-country General Conference which meets once in two years has already at its 34th session in October,2007, given provisional approval by acclamation to the establishment of the Institute in Nigeria.
Governor Oyinlola has been slated as one of the key people to address the meeting today(Monday) on the sitting of UNESCO's Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, Osun stata capital
The current meeting of the board is expected to give the final approval today for the Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, to sign the UNESCO centre to existence;