The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) in partnership with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), will on Saturday host a public lecture to commemorate the 2026 Nelson Mandela International Day.
The event themed, “Mandela’s Long Shadow: Foreign Influence Campaigns and the Struggle for South Africa’s Democratic Identity”, is scheduled for 10:00am West African Time at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
The CDD-West Africa Director, Dr. Dauda Garuba, in a statement, said that this year’s commemoration comes amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant mobilization targeting African nationals in South Africa.
He noted that the current hostility toward fellow Africans contradicts the spirit of solidarity that defined the anti-apartheid struggle, which was supported by African governments, labour movements, universities, and civil society across the continent.
“Nelson Mandela International Day must remain more than a ceremonial remembrance. It should also serve as an opportunity to confront the threats posed by discrimination, political manipulation and the erosion of African solidarity,” Garuba said.
He said that the lecture will bring together academics, labour leaders, civil society actors, media practitioners and democracy advocates from Nigeria and South Africa to examine domestic and external forces shaping public attitudes toward African migrants.
“It should also consider how universities, trade unions, the media and civil society can strengthen people-to-people relations and resist narratives that turn Africans against one another.
“South Africa’s struggle against apartheid was sustained not only by the courage of its people, but also by the support and sacrifice of governments, labour movements, universities, civil society organisations and citizens across Africa.
“The hostility now directed at fellow Africans is therefore inconsistent with the spirit of solidarity that shaped the liberation struggle and the values of dignity, equality and reconciliation associated with Nelson Mandela,” Garuba said.
According to him, Prof. Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, will host the event, while Prof. Attahiru Jega, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, will chair it.
He said, “Comrade Dipo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times, will deliver the lead address. Panelists for the discussion include Comrade Zwaelenzima Vavi of the South African Federation of Trade Unions, SAFTU; Prof. Adoyi Onoja of ASUU; Malam Y.Z. Yau of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD; Comrade Hawwa Mustapha of MOTION; and Barrister Abdul Mahmud of the Public Interest Lawyers League, PILL.
“The session will be moderated by Comrade Adagbo Onoja of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.”
The CDD-West Africa boss said the lecture, which will be open to both physical and virtual participation, aims to explore how universities, trade unions, the media and civil society can strengthen people-to-people relations and resist narratives that pit Africans against one another.
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