Economic and political experts have emphasized Nigeria’s need to diversify its economic partnerships to mitigate dependency risks and capitalize on investment opportunities.
They have also called for enhanced regulatory frameworks to counter disinformation campaigns and preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic processes.
These suggestions were made at a stakeholders’ dialogue on foreign influences and their impact on the democratic values of Nigeria and Africa, organized by the Dataphyte Foundation in Abuja.
During the presentation, Dr. Sam Amadi, the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought: Centre for Public Policy and Research, urged the federal government to establish a nationally-funded endowment for democracy.
Amadi stressed the importance of changing the current situation, in which pro-democratic and economic civil societies in the country are funded almost 100% by external concerns with different ideologies that are at variance with Nigeria’s values.
He insisted that Nigeria must develop its own identity and align with those who share common developmental goals. By setting its agenda, the country can shape the culture and norms that define it.
“This is not about whether they (foreign donors) are bad or good people; it is that they come with an idea of democracy, and they push that idea. So conceptually, every funding for democracy is a projection of ideas for those who are funding it, and it’s an influence.
The question is, is it legitimate or illegitimate? In many cases, it is a legitimate interest influenced by changes in accordance with their Constitution or with the so-called international human rights provisions.
In some cases, it is actually negative. It undermines political interests, but the solution is not to outlaw foreign funding but to create capacity at home to also fund what they don’t fund,” he said.
Femi Amiele, the Programme Director of Dataphyte Foundation, reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to driving positive change and urged all stakeholders to leverage insights from all its data-driven publications and join forces in safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic future.
“Moving forward, the onus is on all stakeholders to translate dialogue into decisive action. Together, we must implement the actionable recommendations generated from this dialogue and foster a culture of democratic resilience in Nigeria,” he noted.
