About us

Nigerialog.com seeks to create, nurture and sustain opportunities for constructive conversation among Nigerians. We are of the opinion that past attempts to move the country forward excluded a very vital instrument critical to true nation building; that is the instrument of dialogue and debate. Over the years, it seemed as if this instrument was deliberately muzzled and enervated by forces opposed to the positive possibilities that can result from its sustained application. As a result, existential threats facing the nation simply became more entrenched.. Some of the cumulative products of this "fear-of-genuine-dialogue" environment are: stale ideas pervading the political and developmental space; extremism and tribal chauvinism, militancy and violence, corruption and mediocrity; institutional failures; oppression, suppression and marginalization; stagnancy masked as conservatism; cronyism and promotion of private interests ahead of the interests of the Nigerian peoples.

These are some of the ills we hope to tackle through dialogue and national conversation which we hope will inject intelligent and workable ideas into the policy and developmental framework of the country. Grassroots movement towards positive change is not alien to the Nigerian space. Nigerian workers and student union bodies championed the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and military dictatorship in Nigeria in 1970s and 1980s. Nigeria was a pedestal for grassroots activism throughout Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. This activism led to the restoration of democratic system of government in Nigeria in 1999. Aspects of it were manifested in the election of the first activist Governor in the person of Adams Oshiomole of Edo State. Though the labor and student union movements were weakened by the immediate past government, there is no evidence to suggest that this weakness is permanent. Nigerialog wishes to help restore to the Nigerian people, the power to reclaim sovereignty and to insist on good governance. We cannot understand how a nation with such huge potentials can remain prostrate for nearly 50 years and seem ready for a 60 years repeat -that is if everything stays the same or nearly the same.

Nigerialog therefore calls for this dialogue with a deep sense of patriotism and a sense of urgency. The last G-20 summit which excluded Nigeria is only a very small part of what lies in wait for the nation in the 21 st century. Nations are quickly adopting developmental strategies which empower their citizens to compete on the global stage. A close examination of these strategies reveals a pattern which encourages talent, skills development and merit based educational system. The leaders of the world in the 21st century will be products of the best schools of the world. The end of the cold war and east-west divide also ended the days of mediocrity on the world stage. This is a world where a businessman in the US will take his business to the Rwanda with no religious violence and with a steady supply of electricity, than a Nigeria with tens of billion of dollars in external reserves but with less security and almost no electricity.

Most worrying is the possibility of Nigeria missing the UN Security Council seat to some of the countries invited to the G-20 summit. The mere fact that the most populous black nation on earth is not one of the 20 biggest economies of the world is unsettling enough but the good news is that things can change. Nigerians can change things themselves and Nigerialog wishes to help nudge the country into taking the necessary action to bring about this change we desperately need.

Thank you and join us today!

The Management

Nigerialog.com