Borno Community Youths Empowered to Participate in Democracy Through Issue Based Approach Engagement

On the 19^th of August 2025, Social Action took the European Union-supported campaign and sensitization to Moromti Community in Maiduguri Metropolitan Area Council, where over 250 youth gathered together to participate in the “Know Your Rights, Know Your Power” campaign. The sensitization workshop brought together young community women and men to educate them on the importance of knowing their rights and knowing how to engage for the protection of those rights.

The workshop, which covered presentations from notable community leaders and legal practitioners, was rendered in Hausa and Kanuri language which are the predominant languages of the people of the community. The presentations exposed the participants to knowledge of key human rights principles as enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. The presenters outlined and analyzed each relevant section of the constitution and how citizens can enforce these fundamental human rights principles. The participants were also taken through the procedure for engaging the police on rights protection issues. They were taken through the step-by-step strategy for engaging law enforcement officers in the event of unlawful arrest.

Another presentation focused on how the youths can mobilize and engage in democratic actions in their communities. The presentation from Comrade Abubakar Mu’azu outlined the various platforms and opportunities for them to engage with duty bearers, including leveraging the potential of technology to advocate around critical community issues. It also outlined the importance of participating in democratic processes. He stressed the importance of knowledge of issues as the entry point towards any democratic engagement. He encouraged participants to lend themselves to reading. He further noted the need for them to collaborate with community leaders and other stakeholders to push their concerns with the duty bearers. He advocates the use of dialogues, petitions, and peaceful rallies to express their grievances on any political matters.

The sensitization concluded by charging participants to keep organizing and mobilizing actions around critical issues of democracy while encouraging them to join the civil rights council, that are being set up in the state. At the end of the sensitization workshop, the participants expressed their enthusiasm for engaging and participating in democratic processes. A WhatsApp group was agreed to be set up to provide some continuous support and training to participants to enable them to effectively engage.