AUSS-NG Advocates for Inclusive Citizenship to Combat Conflict

The African Universities Seminar Series–Nigeria (AUSS-NG) has advocated for the reconstruction of Nigerian citizenship focused on inclusion, equality, participation, and social justice, as structural inequalities exacerbate conflict and insecurity. This was articulated in a communiqué following the second AUSS-NG conference, signed by Victor Ogbonnaya Okorie, Professor of Development at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

The three-day conference, hosted by the University of Lagos Institute for African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), examined the theme ‘Citizenship, Belonging and Geographies of Conflict in Contemporary Nigeria’ and featured 25 papers. Discussions revealed various conflict geographies and highlighted the need for peacebuilding interventions that address not only immediate violence but also the underlying institutional and social structures that perpetuate inequality.

The conference emphasized the importance of integrating indigenous African knowledge and recognizing women's roles in peacebuilding as vital for conflict prevention and reconciliation.