The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) Nigeria Fellows held a High-Level Dialogue On Electoral Violence Prevention in Nigeria with focal discussions centered on “The role of Faith-Based Organizations in Breaking Electoral Violence Cycle in Nigeria” and “Social Media as a Tool for Curbing Electoral Violence in Nigeria”.
The High-Level Dialogue was held at the De Silver Green Hotel, Abuja from 14th to 16th November 2022 with participants drawn from various professional and religious organizations across the country and members of the KAICIID Nigeria Fellows.
Dr. Awal Abdulsalam, Chairman Kaiciid Nigeria Fellows Alumni in his opening remarks noted that the dialogue was key considering that the 2023 elections were around the corner and that the world population has hit an all-time high of 8 billion persons with a projection of Nigeria’s population also skyrocketing by 2050.
He said the growing youthful population of Nigeria means that we have a vibrant population which goes as a recipe for more agitation and leads to violence, especially in Elections given that there is rampant hunger and poverty with no adequate provision of jobs both from the private and Government Sectors.
The Kaiciid Nigeria Fellows Alumni Chairman also noted that since Independence in 1960, elections in Nigeria have been associated with violence and the 2023 election narrative is already breeding potential room for violence, like the issue of the Same Faith Ticket in one party, the issue of Fulani or Zoning issues in another and then that of the youthful agitation of taking back the country from another
“Often times the vibrant population is used as a tool to perpetrate violence during elections as such the need for such high-level consultation and interreligious dialogue on peaceful elections in Nigeria and for individuals, organizations and leaders to share experiences and ideas on how we can collectively achieve peaceful free and fair elections come 2023. He said
There were other keynote discussions anchored by some prominent Religious Leaders and KAICIID Fellows Nigeria in furtherance of the dialogue on the Prevention of Electoral Violence in Nigeria.
The high point of the event was the two(2) breakout sessions with panelist discussions on ‘The role of Faith-Based Organizations in Breaking Electoral Violence Cycle in Nigeria’ and the second was centered on Social Media as a Tool for Curbing Electoral Violence in Nigeria’.
The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, globally known by its abbreviation, KAICIID, is an inter-governmental organization that promotes inter-religious dialogue to prevent and resolve conflict.
Founded in 2012 with its headquarters now in Lisbon, Portugal, KAICIID centers on promoting and employing interreligious dialogue (IRD) to support conflict prevention and resolution, sustainable peace and social cohesion; to promote mutual respect and understanding among different religious and cultural groups; and to counteract the abuse of religion to justify oppression, violence and conflict.
