Use 2023 poll to create a new vision for nationhood – AFRICMIL

By Seun Adeuyi

The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has urged Nigerians to use the elections to create a new vision for nationhood and citizenship.

The Coordinator, AFRICMIL, Dr Chido Onumah, said this on Thursday in Abuja, at a pre-election conference on democracy, federalism and the 2023 elections, organized by the Centre with support from Social Development Integrated Centre (SocialAction).

Onumah said recent calls for a return to an undefined ‘true Federalism’ has complexified the ongoing national debate in the context of federalism as an ideology, a political system of form of government.

He said, “As we heard into a very important election in one week ,these questions are begging for answers. It is against this backdrop that this conference provides space for serious and constructive dialogue from scholars, thought leaders, youths, workers, politicians and social activists to make contributions relevant to promoting emancipatory and progressive perspectives on democracy, federalism and nation-building in Nigeria.

“We hope that at the end of this conference we would be able to shape the conversation in the run-up to the General Elections, redefine a new vision of nationhood and citizenship.”

Onumah said the conference would also help to define concrete options for federalism and nation-building including resource control, protecting citizens and residency of all people regardless of wherever they select to call home.

A Policy Analyst and human rights activist, Hauwa Mustapha, said it was important to invest in people because democracy was about the people and about participation.