The Centre for Information Technology and Development had on the 29th of June, 2021 held a commencement lecture for its Social Media for Accountability (SM4A) Training which is being supported by the Macarthur Foundation at its Social Media Lab. The lecture was organized to sensitize the first thirty selected participants out of the hundreds applications received who will benefit from the program. At the commencement lecture, Dr. Nura Ibrahim, Head of Department, Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano presented a paper title Youth, Social Media and Making of Accountability Governance in Nigeria while Professor Ismail A. Zango, Director Mambayya served as the chairman of the occasion.

In his opening remarks at the commencement lecture, the Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Engineer Yunusa Zakari Ya’u who was represented by the organization’s Training Coordinator, Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai said the reason behind coming up with idea of the Social Media for Accountability Training is to equip and train Youth on how best to use the social media for accountability and to see to the creation of New Nigeria where justice and accountability will prevail. He continued to say that social media provided an avenue for people to inject their voice and many individuals are using social media without tapping its potentials and how best it will benefit them and their country. He urged the selected beneficiaries to utilize the resources that will be provided during the training in order advocate for a better society using their different social media platforms.  

Remarking at the event, the chairman of the event, Professor Zango mentioned that some social media users, influencers and self-styled warriors are using their social media platforms and fringe websites to proliferate misinformation and fake news, for just growing their online followership. Zango also added that youth can use social media to bring about positive changes and reforms in the country. Also social media can be used to hold government officials accountable for their action which in normal circumstances cannot be done. The chairman urged the beneficiating youth to verify any information or news before posting it on social media and post genuine and accurate information on their social media platforms in order to draw the attention of our leaders for accountability. At the end, he cautioned the youth against using the social media for blackmail and sharing of fake news.

Presenting his paper at the commencement lecture, Dr. Nura charged the youth to be good ambassadors of their communities. While presenting, Dr. Nura said technology can serve as a powerful tool for public opinion that could compel leaders to be accountable saying that if there is an issue with national interest, youth should take it to the social media, make an issue of it, and demand accountability from the parties concerned.

However, Dr. Nura cautioned social media users to discern between credible information from malicious posts, adding that if one stands on the path of truth, he can’t do anything against the truth but for the truth. Giving example with power of social media, Dr. Nura said apart from organising protests, the social media has been used to also hasten the speed of activities relating to governance in different spheres. In 2021, there was a case of crisis in Wukari of Taraba state, with people getting injured and killed. Internet users quickly uploaded the information on Twitter, calling on the Police to come to the community’s aid. Shortly afterwards, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) responded via Twitter that officers had been deployed, and the issue addressed. 

At the end, Dr. Ibrahim said Social media have revolutionized the way people communicate. In Nigeria, youths, who have higher levels of affinity with the social media, are using it to achieve different ends. It holds lots of potential for news, information, entertainment, mobilization, interaction and expression.

Cibiyar bunƙasa fasahar sadarwa da cigaban al’umma CITAD, ta koka akan yadda ake samun ƙarancin mata a harkokin mulki da ma siyasar Najeriya baki ɗaya.

Cibiyar ta CITAD ta bayyana takaicin na ta ne a yayin taron wata lakca da ta CITAD din ta shirya a dandalin intanet mai take ƙarancin mata a harkokin siyasar Najeriya, ina mafita? Wanda taron ya samu tallafin gidauniyar Rosa Luxembourg.

Malami a shashen nazarin halayyar ɗan adam a jami’ar Bayero da ke Kano, Dakta Aminu Ali ya ce akwai ƙarancin mata a harkokin siyasar kasar nan duk da irin ƙoƙarin da kungiyoyin fararen hula da na sa kai ke yi wajen ganin matan sun shiga an dama da su a harkokin siyasar.

Dakta Aminu Ali ya ce sakamakon tasirin al’ada da addini ya sanya mata su ke da ƙaranci a da’irar siyasar Najeriya, haka kuma ba a cika ganinsu ba a harkokin jama’a ko kuma ba su ragamar shugabancin al’umma ba.

A nata ɓangaren Uwargida Hamman Obels daga Cibiyar IRIAD cewa ta yi ya kamata a ɗauki wani mataki musamman idan aka zo batun rawar da mata za su iya takawa a harkokin siyasar Najeriya, domin tuni an bar mu a baya idan aka yi la’akari da sauran ƙasashen Afrika kamar su Rwanda da Tanzania da Senegal da kuma ƙasar Afrika ta Kudu.

Ta ƙara da cewa akwai abubuwa masu yawa da su ne su ka sabbaba rashin ganin matam a kujerun mulki, waɗanda su ka haɗa da al’ada da addini wanda ya haɗa da aure da kuma al’adar nan da wasu mutane ke kallon babu wani abu da mace za ta yi sai dai bauta a kasan Namiji da sunan aure.

Uwargida Hamman Obels, ta ƙara da cewa duk da cewa mata a Najeriya sun taka rawa sosai a ɓangaren tattalin arziki da kuma cigaba rayuwar al’umma amma har yanzu akwai masu daƙile cigaban matan tare da dankwafar da su a waje guda.

Haka kuma Hamman Obels din ta ce akwai buƙatar a samar da daidaito a tsakanin mata da maza musamman a harkokin mulki da siyasa domin hakan ne zai ƙara tabbatar da adalci.

A ƙarshe ta ce babu abin da zai samar da hakan sai an samu waɗanda za su rike hannun matan a harkokin siyasar kasar tare da wayar da kan al’umma akan siyasa ba mugun abu ba ce. Domin siyasa wani abu ce da ta ke da tasiri tare da taɓa rayuwar dukkanin al’umma.

The All Poets Network (APN), in collaboration with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and Akweya Radio, organise one-day poetry writing workshop at the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano. Dr Ola Ifatimehin, the head of the Department, will facilitate the workshop.

Engausa, a hybridised English-Hausa language, is used by many Hausa speakers in northern Nigeria. The language is gaining momentum, especially on social media. However, writing poetry in the same language is usually unconventional or even unwelcomed.

Announcing the workshop, Khalid Imam, the curator of APN, describes Engausa poetry as “a type of poetry which combines English and Hausa words in its expressions. It borrows from the vocabulary and cultural expressions of both languages to create imagery and tonality that colours and beautifies poetry in fresh modes.”

Dr Ifatimehin said that when he began writing such poetry, he was surprised to see that “so many people found it quite fascinating and some started writing as well.” He added that although there had been debates around it, it is catching on. Dr Ifatimehin disclosed to this reporter that “we have recently gotten funding to do an anthology”.

The Daily Reality is the first online news medium in Nigeria with a dedicated section on Engausa. Therefore, the company has promised to support this avant-garde movement and other creative writings in Engausa. The event will take place on 10th July 2021 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

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CITAD with support from ActionAid , Nigeria trained 50 women in 10 communities of the FCT of AMAC and Kwali Area Councils on Peer Education.  The objectives training  were to strengthen the capacity of 50 women across 10 communities in AMAC and Kwali Area Council on how to address issues that affect their lives politically, socially and economically, and  to establish a committee for the women to mobilize and organize themselves  for collective action for  women rights development and discourage Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in their communities. The training too place in two separate phases, the first phase took place between 9th and 11th June, 2021in AMAC and the second phase between 14th and 16th June, 2021 in Kwali Area council.

         The training was carried out using a designed manual that is designed to inculcate the information in to the participants; The trainings were interactive and participants were taken using ways of localizing customizing the wordings for better understanding of the concepts in the manual.

The Participants fully understood the concepts as the evaluation processes during the training shown, at the end of the training Local Networks were established, the aim of these networks are; 

1. To strengthened the capacity of women to address issues affecting them socially, politically and economically.
2. To help in establishing a  peer cycle group  in each community, with a maximum of 20 women, with identification of the groups focal persons, meeting dates and meeting frequencies 

It was also agreed that; the trained women will step down the training to other women in their communities so that the knowledge learnt will become universal in the communities to ensure sustainability of the ideas and the moves. 

At the end of the programmes the women made the following appeals:

• They solicited for  adult education Centres to be established  in their communities, so as to boost their literacy skills.
• The women also recommended that men  in their communities should also be trained on women’s rights and other issues to empower women, because most times they do not support their women’s development politically, socially and economically.

Issues around land is affecting the community negatively, this has led the women request on ways their lands can be saved.