Transforming Nigeria through Civic Education, Youth Empowerment

As the country continues on the brink of doom, considering the erosion of values, insecurity, and injustice, among others, a non-partisan civic organisation, the League for Social Justice, has bemoaned the long-term neglect of youths, saying that reorientation of the youths through civic education and empowerment will restore patriotism among them and enable them to secure the future of the nation. Uchechukwu Nnaike and Oluchi Chibuzor report

While addressing some of the country’s developmental challenges in a chat with media executives, Dr Labode Obanor, the President of the League for Social Justice (LSJ), emphasised that the future of the nation depends not only on what students study, but also on the values they carry beyond graduation. He regretted that the neglect of youths over the years pushed them into all kinds of unscrupulous societal activities and a general apathy toward their fundamental rights.

To transform the country, he stated that the youth should be the central focus of any organisation and society, adding that educational institutions should become centres for raising a new generation of socially conscious leaders. According to him, empowering students while they are still in school offers a better pathway to building responsible leadership than waiting until they enter politics or the workforce.

Obanor, a renowned lawyer and scholar, said that his organisation is catching them young through the Project Arise initiative in primary and secondary schools and the Voice of Justice initiative in higher institutions. Through the Project Arise initiative, he said the organisation engages pupils in primary and secondary schools, providing educational support and instilling values of responsibility and community service from an early age. According to him, the programme has been held in Lagos, Edo, and parts of the Midwest, with a remarkable impact, as evidenced by feedback from school administrators.

He stated that the Voice of Justice was recently launched at the University of Lagos, where about 700 students were empowered. The initiative aims to amplify the voices of young people, prepare them to be good citizens, equip them with leadership skills, prepare them for the wider society, and remind them that their first priority and first commitment is to be loyal to their country before tribe.

“Part of the things that have divided us as a nation is that we are more ethnocentric rather than nationalistic, and the division is what caused our problem of tribalism today,” he said.

Obanor added that the initiative also educates youths about their legal rights and about not taking justice for granted when those rights are violated.

“Apathy is another problem we have in this country. People get so relaxed and get so used to injustice that we just laugh about it and move on,” he stated. “But we should not do that. If there are instances of injustice, we should cry out so that we don’t become numb to the abnormal. So when you get used to the abnormal, when the normal comes, it becomes a strange thing to you.”

Since 2021, he said the LSJ has sustained its youth-focused interventions through regular classroom engagements, educational outreach programmes and civic education initiatives. It plans to expand the Voice of Justice project to additional tertiary institutions across western and midwestern Nigeria, despite the significant logistical challenges involved in organising campus-wide initiatives. While describing education as the bedrock of development, Obanor regretted that the country’s education sector is grappling with many challenges that hinder youths from attaining their potential.

According to him, poor funding and diversion of funds meant for the provision of facilities and infrastructure development have led to the dilapidation of existing structures in public schools. He added that the resulting unconducive learning environment affects the quality of education and student enrolment rate, making quality education an exclusive preserve of those who can afford private schools, which have become very expensive now.

“It’s not affordable. It’s a major issue and concern that we must address,” he said.

Though funding education is the government’s responsibility, he said civil society organisations and other groups can complement the government’s efforts. He noted that in the past, public schools were completely fenced with gates manned by security operatives, but these days, many schools are not protected, adding that the poor condition of the schools exposes the children and teachers to abductions and other dangers.

“Kids who are supposed to be learning are afraid of being kidnapped or abducted while in the classroom. Teachers look around while teaching, fearing that someone is coming to take them. This is not sustainable,” he said.

Another area of concern, he said, is the increasing number of out-of-school children, which, according to UNICEF, ranges from 10.5 million to 18.9 million. Recent reports also reveal that up to 20 million children who enrol in primary school never transition to senior secondary education. Obanor, who described the issue as a decades-old problem in the country, said, “I remember back in the days of the military rule, many of us were involved in protesting the military government because we were in and out of school. We were in school for two months and out of school for eight months of the year. And the strike here and there.”

He stressed that once the security challenge in the country is tackled, every other challenge will be addressed, while calling on Nigerians to take security seriously.

“The primary and core responsibility is a state that is fully secured,” he explained. “When human beings are secured in themselves, in their property and in their homes, they are able to do things, even engage in trade, engage in things that government will benefit from, such as paying taxes, doing business and all of that. However, what we are seeing now is a breakdown of security in this country.”

He stressed that funds allocated to secure the society should be used for that purpose.

“When it comes to insecurity, they are comparing us to places like Haiti, Congo or Ukraine. Why would they be comparing a country with a functioning government to a war-torn country? That is the state of insecurity. It’s not normal,” Obanor said.

According to him, LSJ was formed by experts in Nigeria and in the diaspora due to growing concerns about the level of injustice in the country and the need to give victims a voice.

He said that the organisation was founded on the core principle that justice in society should not depend on the size of one’s account or political connections, state of origin, or ethnicity. It should be dependent on access to justice.  He said that the LSJ exists to amplify cases of injustice overshadowed by other events and to ensure that victims don’t remain silent or numb until they receive justice.

He advised the youths not to get used to the current situation in the country, urging them to consistently engage in protests and reject any abnormal occurrences.