Month: September 2021

In the latest of the dialogue series organised by Lux Terra Leadership Foundation in partnership with the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy Development (SCDDD), stakeholders from different ethno-religious and civil society organisations, as well as representatives of media houses in Niger State, met for a one day multi-stakeholder dialogue session at the at NSDC Hotel, Minna, on Wednesday May 19 2021, to deliberate on the current challenges confronting the Nigerian nation and also made recommendations for the way out of Nigeria’s governance problems.

Executive Director of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Fr George Ehusani who was represented by Majeed Dahiru, welcomed all participants and charged them to deliberate meaningfully on the challenges facing the nation and come out with viable recommendations that will take care of the genuine aspirations of the people of Niger State.

Among participants at the dialogue session were the representatives of Niger South, Dr Ahmad Shehu, Niger North Usman Musa Ibeto and Niger East Moses Alkali. Others include, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria( CAN) Niger state chapter, Rev Dr Mathias Echiado, Chairperson of the Forum of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Hauwa Kulu Abdullahi, Kolo Muhammad of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Minna, Aisha Beddegi of Badeggi FM and Christiana Barau of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA).

The participants who all commended the initiative, called on governments at all levels to improve governance by providing adequate security and welfare for the Nigerian people, and to work seriously on job creation and poverty alleviation.

The participants also lamented the collapse of the family system and admonished a return to the days of strong moral values as the norm in the society. They also identified the absence of social Justice as the root cause of the disunity in Nigeria, and called on the Federal Government to put in place deliberate policies and programs that will ensure justice, equity and fairness to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity or religion. This they said will go a long way to achieve unity, peace and security in Nigeria.

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The dialogue series organised by Lux Terra Leadership Foundation in partnership with the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy Development (SCDDD) continued on Tuesday May 11, 2021 at the NUJ Press Centre in Lafia, Nasarawa State, with stakeholders from diverse ethno-religious and civil society organisations, as well as representatives of media houses in the state.

Executive Director of Lux Terra, Fr George Ehusani who was represented by Barr Mike Utsaha, stressed that at a time like this, there is need for Nigerians to sit together as a people, take a critical look at their challenges, and come up with workable suggestions on the way forward for the nation. He enjoined all participants to contribute meaningfully to the deliberations in the course of the day.

A Panel discussion on the topic, “Nigeria and the Political Economy of National Security, Unity and Development” featured the following among other panelists: Peter Ahemba, President Tiv Development Association in Nasarawa State, John Umar, President Mada Youth Association, and Chief Clement Ahar Uhembe, Lecturer, Federal University, Lafia (and former Commissioner for Higher Education, Nasarawa State).

The deliberations that followed the panel discussions occurred in a very peaceful and convivial manner. And at the end of the day participants commended the initiative and concluded that the unity of the Nigerian nation is sacrosanct and must be protected, even as they acknowledged the general leadership failure at Federal, State, Local government levels and the loss of values, as well as the widespread loss of core societal values.

The participants called for more active and responsible participation of the young population in the political process at all levels. They also resolved that for any nation to move forward, there must be peace and security and they called on the government to ensure that peace returns to Nigeria, no matter the price that must be paid. They said government at all levels should be more proactive in just and equitable project and policy implementation, in such a way that all segments of society are included in national development, and all are made to feel a sense of belonging. Such they observed, will help to reduce the crime rate in the society.

They expressed gratitude to Lux Terra and the Savannah Centre for the great job done so far, even as they look forward to the ongoing dialogue process being sustained, as a viable path to resolving the current challenges of the country.

The participants emphasized that the task of promoting the unity, development and peace of the nation is not one for political leaders alone but the collective responsibility of all Nigerians.

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In continuation of its dialogue meetings with stakeholders in the North Central geopolitical region of Nigeria, LUX TERRA Leadership Foundation held the Kwara State session in Ilorin on Saturday May 15, 2021.

Such dialogue sessions, meant to harvest the perspectives and recommendations of critical stakeholders on urgent issues of national concern, had earlier taken place in Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger States.

The Executive Director of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, was represented by Joseph Atang who also facilitated the meeting. Mr. Atang said that Lux Terra believes that “the bottom-up approach and the non-governmental status of the conveners of these dialogue sessions, will make the eventual output more acceptable to both the government and a majority of the Nigerian population.”

Participants at the meeting included religious and traditional leaders, representatives of community based organisations, the youth, women, and such professional bodies as Nigerian Union of Journalists, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Medical Association, as well as Farmers and Transhumance Pastoralists.

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