The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Professor Mohammed Khalid Othman, has reiterated the university’s commitment to intellectual engagement, critical scholarship, and constructive dialogue, on issues affecting Nigeria’s political and socio-economic development.
Prof Othman made the remarks during the maiden Public Lecture Series of the Department of Political Science, with the theme ‘The Practice of Party Politics in Nigeria Since 1960; Old Wine in New Bottle’.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Abubakar Sadeeq Suleiman, the Vice-Chancellor described the lecture as significant, noting that though Nigeria’s independence on October 1, 1960, represented the triumph of the nationalist struggle and the collective aspirations of the country’s founding fathers for a united, democratic and prosperous nation, a lot of questions still remain.
According to him, six decades after independence, Nigeria’s democratic journey has continued to raise important questions about political institutions, leadership, governance, and national development.
Professor Othman said the topic for the lecture was timely and intellectually engaging, providing an opportunity to examine the evolution of political parties from the First Republic through successive political transitions to the present Fourth Republic.
He commended the Department of Political Science for initiating the lecture series and encouraged it to sustain the initiative as an annual intellectual tradition, bringing together distinguished scholars, policymakers and experienced practitioners to discuss critical issues affecting Nigeria’s democracy and development.
The Vice-Chancellor assured the department of the university management’s support and urged that the outcomes of the lecture be shared with the wider university community.
In his welcome address, the Head of the Department of Political Science, Dr. Tativ Bem. Elijah said the lecture series was designed to provide staff and students with a platform to examine Nigeria’s social, political, and economic challenges and proffer practical solutions.
He believes that the initiative would promote intellectual discourse, deepen political awareness, and encourage constructive contributions towards addressing the country’s developmental challenges.
The Guest Speaker, Professor Isaac Akuva, called for a critical examination of Nigeria’s party politics, which he said has witnessed little change in practice despite changes in party names and political arrangements over the decades.
Professor Akuva argued that Nigeria’s political parties have continued to exhibit recurring practices such as imposition of candidates, internal party disputes, defections, and frequent changes in party identities.
According to him, although political parties have changed their names and outward appearances over the years, their underlying political practices have remained largely the same.
“What has only changed is the container, but the content is the same,” he stated.
He described the failure of early alliance negotiations as one of the developments that introduced a culture of political non-forgiveness into Nigeria’s political landscape.
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