INEC, Civil Society To Partner On Civic Education

As the nation prepares for 2011 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will engage the public on civic education as well as educate the people on sound knowledge of democracy.

Mr. Mike Igini, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Cross River State stated this in a paper he presented at the interactive forum organised by INEC in Port Harcourt recently.

Mr. Igini noted that the larger Nigerian society required bottom –up endeavour which the civil society organisations with their significant social capital can best provide.

He stated that development takes place when representatives of the state, the corporate sector, and the civil society established common fora through which they can identify and pursue common goals.

He recalled that from the time of independence, civil society organisations have used such norms as civil education, and networks to muscle up collective actions which saw the  fight for media freedom, restoration of democracy, and the sustenance for democratic practice.

In the area of information dissemination, the INEC Commissioner said civil society were empowered with competence to guide debate, and build consensus on the underlying facts to better the public sphere. 

He regretted that mushroom and funny groups have spring up in Nigeria tending towards  private business stressing that these groups had brought embarrassment to genuine civil society persons and organisations  that have made tremendous sacrifices and contributions to the so called democracy that we have today.

In an effort to disseminate proper information educating Nigerians on sound knowledge of democracy and election processes, INEC expects to partner with civil society organizations that will invest social capital to institutionalise  bottom-up development and not groups that will be fighting chiefly for pecuniary gains.

Kin Banigo