Discussion
Details
The main speaker, Mrs. Francesca Edeghere was of the opinion that this roundtable was timely as Nigeria is passing through a difficult stage. Representing the CSOs, Mrs. Edeghere opined that the CSOs have to acquire knowledge, skills and the willpower to engage in the process of performing their duties as agents of civic education in order to have lasting peace in the society. She pointed out that peace is not the absence of war or conflicts, but the presence of justice, law and order in the society. The CSOs play a fundamental role of mediator between the citizens and the state. They are the interface through which both sides can interact.
A participant observed that the CSOs in the broad sense comprise of even the media, and so the media should see itself as an integral part of the coalition for development and progress of the nation.
Mr. Abdulrauf Abdulrahman from Blueprint newspaper expressed concerns on the level of corruption in the country, and as long as both the CSOs and the media keep quiet this would not change for the better. It was noticed that to do justice orderly and to care for the social fabric is the only way through which peace could be attained.
Another speaker, Mr. Fidelis Ekom, pointed out the rivalry between the CSOs and the media. Both represent the avenues through which the citizens make their voices heard, unfortunately, the media looks at the CSOs as having a large source of funding through sponsorship, while the media has to struggle with market forces to raise its funds.
It was agreed that the monthly platform which KAS offers for the Media and CSOs to meet and discuss their actions is an important tool to increase their work on civic educational issues.
