Group launches political awareness campaign for Nigerian Youths, Students

By Chimezie Godfrey
In order to raise awareness in the political process among Nigerian youths and students in tertiary institutions, the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has commenced a two day political education program.
The program which was held on Tuesday in Abuja was organized in collaboration with ROSA Luxemburg Foundation, West Africa, and International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) with the theme, “Raising Political Awareness Among Students in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.”
The Coordinator, AFRICMIL, Chido Onumah decried the fact that the level of political consciousness among Nigerian youth and students in tertiary institutions has drastically declined over the years.
Onumah pointed out that the fire brand activism, ant-colonialism, anti-imperialism among other things that were dominant in the pro-independence and post-independence era have dissolved into empty sloganeering and deliberate scheming to justify, promote and further the actions of the oppressor- class.
He said,”As a result of the ideological and intellectual collapse in the leadership of students, we now have a situation where instead of being the progressive forces that they were in the past, students have now become key agents of reaction and willing tools in the hands of the political elite and ruling class.
“To change the situation, it is our belief that we must reinvent the political education to help philosophy of the 1970s and 80s that provided veritable platforms for students to engage one another in the society.
“To achieve this, we have put together these roundtables on focused political education to help students return to these original role of serving as dynamic and constructive agent in the development of the country.”
He disclosed that the aim of the program among other things was to help the students understand that because they are linked to the larger society by family, marriage, friendship, and region among others, they cannot pretend to be indifferent to the fate of the larger society.
He stressed that as young and active members of the society, the Nigerian youths and students have a historic role to not only challenge the current social order but to work to change it.
The Programme Manager, ROSA Luxemburg Foundations, West Africa, Angela Odah decried the fact that Nigerian youth and students are ignorant of the political process in the country, adding that they do not even know where the nation is headed politically.
“We don’t even know who we are and the people that are leading us down the drain are just one percent of the society,” she said.
She lamented the fact that politicians have turned the political process into a money making venture, and that it is the reason why the country is not making head-way adding that there is no way the country can move forward as long as the political process is not right.
Discussants at event included the Director, International Institute of Journalism, Dr. Emman Shehu, Prof. Peter U. Nwangwu, and Anne W. Kpason, among others.