This report was written by Executive Board member, Moronfolu Adeniyi.

cross-section of some participants at the forum

On Saturday 5^th November, 2016, African Students for Liberty organized a Liberty and Leadership Forum for pro-liberty student leaders and local coordinators in Nigeria. This was to enable them meet one another, learn, develop their leadership capacities, and plan for the new academic year. The event was held at the conference room, Royal Green Guest House, Ibara G.R.A, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Over 40 participants were in attendance and there were lectures and discussions on very important topics such as Free Speech, Fund Raising, Financial Management, Events Benchmarking, Leadership, Time Management, Campus Regulations, Drug Policy, Open Borders, and Government Regulations.

The event commenced with a Local Coordinator, Sodiq Alabi taking the audience through the vision and mission of Students for liberty; He talked briefly about ASFL and the need to further promote the Local Coordinators’ Program (LCP) in colleges across the country.

ASFL’s West Africa Regional director who is the host, Moronfolu Adeniyi spoke on ‘Promoting Liberty on African Campuses’. He highlighted some of the gains recorded so far as well as the adjoining challenges in the cause of advancing liberty across tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Moronfolu ended by narrating his experience as a student and how he and his team were able to surmount several obstacles from their school management in getting the organization established on their campus. He energized participants to be focused and determined pro-liberty advocates.

In her presentation on ‘leadership and time management, essential tools in activism’, Oluwaponmile Orija said, “You do not need a formal title to be a leader”. She believes leaders are at forefront of change and that proper time management increases effectiveness and productivity.

Lilian David, ASFL Executive Board Member talked extensively on ‘Benchmark of Successful Events/Projects’. To organize successful events, she identified and explained three strategies that student leaders can employ, which are: Coordination, Supervision, and Teamwork. She also shared possible events that can be organized by ASFL leaders, especially on campuses. She noted that, “evaluating the success of your event will require that you set goals and expectations, get feedbacks, evaluate your finances and set success indicators prior to the event.”

SFL African Programs Manager, Olumayowa Okediran gave a broad introduction of ASFL to the participants. He explained how governments enact laws to infringe on individual rights and in turn hamper social freedom. He shared his experiences in the liberty movement and encouraged the Local Coordinators to put more effort into their activities and embrace the opportunities available to them. Olumayowa also informed the participants about the ‘No Nanny Campaign’, a global SFL campaign that is identifying and reproving laws that are infringing on individual rights, and plans to integrate it into subsequent programs of ASFL.

Former ASFL Executive Board member, Odunola Oladejo and John Aiyede (vice president of  ALSO, University of Ibadan) shared insights on ‘Free Speech and Campus Regulations’. The participants were better informed on the importance of employing bottom-top approach in creating social movement for a free and prosperous Africa.

Stephen Oguntoyinbo, country representative for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and his delegation gave a presentation on drug policy issues and harm reduction. He emphasized the importance of good communication and advocacy skills for student leaders in the libertarian community. He also made known their readiness to be part of the ASFL Network. They were able to engage the participants by sharing highlights of some the works their organization is doing both locally and internationally in getting young people involved in the realization of a free society, and to put an end to the war on drugs and other human right abuses.

Special thanks to Students For Liberty for the unwavering support in advancing the cause of liberty in Nigeria and Africa at large. The outcome of this event reaffirmed our conviction on the need to keep spreading the ideas of human dignity, individual and economic freedom, and ability to pursue one’s happiness without coercion.