Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo emphasised the transformative role of technology in political action and governance, urging citizens and leaders to leverage technology as a tool for advocacy, inclusivity, and societal reform.
Osinbajo made these remarks at the Technology, New Media, Citizens, and Governance (TNCG) conference held in Lagos on Thursday.
The event themed ‘Technology: The Present and Future of Political Action in Africa’ was convened by Enough is Enough Nigeria and BudgIT.
The former vice president called for a deeper understanding of political action, its significance, and the role of technology in enhancing governance.
“Why technology is so important in the discourse on political action. It is because technology is both a tool and a radical expression of a crucial right, a fundamental right to freedom of expression,” he stated.
He framed the conversation around Africa’s pressing issues, including poverty, economic instability, and climate change, emphasising the elite’s role in addressing these challenges through equitable leadership and technology adoption.
Citing examples like Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement and Kenya’s Gen Z uprising, Osinbajo highlighted how social media and digital platforms have been used for real-time communication, awareness creation, and mobilisation.
He said, “The most dramatic use of technology is the use of social media for protest mobilisation. And that, I think, is the one that I was especially impressed with. Platforms like X, Instagram, were used in organising the EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
“Activists coordinated rallies, they raised funds, presented evidence of law enforcement violations, real time, and also raised international awareness
using the hashtags. Much of the same approach was used in the EndBadGovernance protests.
“More recently, the so-called Gen Z uprising in Kenya protesting the Finance Bill 2024 saw the use of TikTok and X to spread awareness, plan demonstrations, share information, and then to avoid the police, the protesters used the Zelo app, which functions as a real-time walkie-talkie, so they were able to use this app to avoid the police because this app enabled them to have live updates on police movements, and then they were able to plan accordingly.”
While acknowledging technology’s benefits, Osinbajo cautioned against its misuse. He referenced incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal and AI-driven deepfake videos, which have fueled misinformation and societal divisions.
Osinbajo stressed the need for self-regulation in social media to mitigate risks like misinformation, saying that “social media can be a threat to democracy.”
“But social media platforms, as we’ve heard also, and I think two or three people have referred to that, can be a threat to democracy. They can be a threat to social cohesion and individual and collective security,” he stated.
Osinbajo called for reforms in Africa’s education systems, advocating for AI-driven solutions to tackle the continent’s out-of-school children crisis. He mentioned innovative platforms like Emshule in Kenya, which uses AI for personalised learning, as examples of how technology can revolutionise education.
He also urged a shift in educational curriculum to prioritise collaboration and critical thinking over competition, arguing that such reforms would foster community development and social cohesion.
The former vice president argued that sustainable change requires elite-driven advocacy and action within partisan political frameworks.
Osinbajo described the elite as influential individuals across various sectors—politicians, business leaders, religious figures, and civil society activists—who can shape public opinion and reform.
The former vice president urged broader participation in political processes to amplify marginalised voices, emphasising that technology, when responsibly deployed, can bridge gaps in governance, education, and civic engagement.
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