Baze University Professor Urges Nigeria to Embrace Diversity

At the THISNIGERIA Lecture and Award event discussing ‘25 Years of Unbroken Democracy,’ Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, a mass communication professor at Baze University Abuja, emphasized the importance of including everyone and respecting different viewpoints in Nigeria’s democratic journey.

During the event, former lawmaker Senator Shehu Sani talked about a crucial moment in 1999 when activists missed a chance to take power from the military. He explained that General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who led the military at the time, offered to hand over power to them, but they said no. This allowed politicians to take charge instead.

READ: UNIABUJA alerts the public of fraudsters impersonating the acting Vice-Chancellor

"We made a big mistake," Senator Sani admitted. "By turning down General Abdulsalami's offer to work together and take power peacefully, we missed a chance like South Africa's ANC did."

Senator Sani also discussed the challenges activists faced in politics after that moment. He mentioned names like Gani Fawehinmi, Mike Ozekhome, Femi Falana, and himself, who all struggled to get into political roles after the opportunity was lost.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who also spoke at the event, praised Nigeria’s progress with democracy despite many challenges. He stressed the need to keep improving democracy and to focus on things like fairness, human rights, and helping everyone in society.

YOU MAY LIKE: UNIABUJA Vice-Chancellor Abdul-Rasheed Bids Farewell To University Community

Professor Abiodun Adeniyi talked about how important it is for Nigeria to accept and work with different kinds of people and ideas. He said that for democracy to grow, everyone must be included and treated fairly.

Mike Ozekhome, who gave a speech at the event, criticized the government for not delivering on what they promised with democracy. He talked about problems with Nigeria’s economy and said that leaders need to bring people together and help the country grow.

ALSO FOLLOW: Professor Aisha Maikudi Takes Over as UniAbuja Vice Chancellor from Na’allah

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, defended the government’s work and said they are making progress with building things like roads and bridges. He said that even though things are hard, they are trying to make life better for everyone.

Eric Osagie, who organized the event, said that it was a chance to think about Nigeria’s 25 years of democracy. He said the event was for people to talk about what has been good and what has been hard during that time.

The event brought together many important people, like politicians and media leaders, to talk about Nigeria’s democracy and what the future could look like.

Follow Myschoolnews.ng for more education based news and content.