Democracy continues to decline for the eighth consecutive year, as low voter turnout and disputed election results threaten credibility, according to a global index for free and fair elections. The West African subregion is sliding into military dictatorship. A recent poll suggests that most West African populations support the Niger coup with highs nearing 80 percent of approval ratings in Mali as the wave of usurping power by uniform men continues to be a litmus test for democracy in West Africa.
Civic education, the process of teaching citizens about their rights, responsibilities, and the political system, is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. In Nigeria, however, this crucial component of education has been neglected for far too long. The curriculum often prioritises academic subjects over civic knowledge, leaving many young people ill-equipped to engage meaningfully in their communities and the democratic process.
In an effort to leverage the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) for social good by building AI-powered tools to solve societal issues especially the existential problem of declining democratic participation, acts that are intended to influence the behaviour of those empowered to make decisions in the country, ChatVE, a Civic Tech organisation using AI chatbot to collect claims for fact-checking on the micro-blogging platform X (Twitter) trained Nigerians on how to use “Citizen Bot (CitiBot),” an integrated chatbot designed to educate citizens about their civic rights and responsibilities on their everyday social messaging applications (WhatsApp and Telegram), at the just concluded Edo State Governorship election.
The training, which focused mainly on civil rights and responsibilities, was held on Saturday, September 21st, 2024, in four selected local governments across ten polling units in Edo State, including PU 02 Oregbeni Ward, PU 002 Uselu Town Hall, PU 038 Edokpolor-Oloh Motors, Edokpolor Fac-Oloh 1, and PU 007 GRA III Ebenezer Primary School II.
Over 100 citizens within the ten polling units participated in the onboarding session, which was conducted to provide a basic level of civic understanding and improve their civic participation.
Addressing the participants at Edokpolor-Oloh in Ikpoba/Okha Local Government Area, one of the polling units, Israel Olatunji Tijani, Data Scientist and Lead Developer of CitiBot powered by ChatVE, stressed the need for AI innovation in solving problems peculiar to the global south, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. He emphasised the need for AI technology to offer a transformative approach to improving civic engagement, enabling citizens to actively participate in democratic processes with better ease and efficiency.
Tijani explained that in regions where resources are often limited, AI solutions offer scalable approaches to overcoming these barriers, fostering more inclusive participation in governance, and enabling citizens to be fully aware of their rights as well as their civic obligations.
Nigeria as a vibrant and diverse nation faced with a pervasive lack of civic education and the absence of a robust understanding of rights, duties, and democratic processes has led to a decline in civic participation, contributing to a host of societal ills, he added.
The consequences of neglect and eroded civic knowledge in Nigeria are far-reaching. A population that is uninformed about its rights is more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. When citizens do not understand their duties, they are less likely to fulfil their obligations to society, such as paying taxes, obeying laws, or preserving the country’s socio-economic infrastructure.
According to him, “The goal is to promote civic education engagement in local communities, inform grassroots voters about democratic processes, and educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities.”
Speaking on the issue of political apathy, one of the voters at the polling unit shared, “The only problem here is the low turnout of voters, and this is because people no longer believe their vote will count. But with what I have heard about a chatbot like CitiBot, I believe it will help people know more about their voting rights.”
CitiBot is menu-based and allows users to click on a range of topics, including rights and responsibilities, government structure, how to vote, and understanding the constitution, among other features, to help citizens navigate their political interests seamlessly. They can interact with the bot to get information related to their political needs.
Nigeria must prioritise civic education at all levels of the educational system. This includes developing comprehensive curricula that teach students about their rights, duties, and the democratic process, as well as providing adequate resources and training for teachers. Additionally, civil society organisations and media outlets can play a vital role in promoting civic education and encouraging citizens to engage in democratic activities.
The training, facilitated alongside Gbolahan Ifeoluwa, Head of Partnership and Strategy at ChatVE, explained how the tool can be accessed through platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and via a QR code to scan for easy access.
During its testing exercise, Gbolahan explained how CitiBot can be improved using observations from the just concluded Edo State election based on the users’ interactions.
According to Obazi Omoniyi, a radio presenter with Radio Nigeria, “As a global village, information can easily get through to the right authority, and CitiBot could help do that as long as it provides the information people are looking for.”
Another voter by the name of Jessica, who also engaged CitiBot, echoed the need to raise more awareness about civic education; she said, “A lot of people don’t even know the importance of voting or their rights as citizens, but with tools like CitiBot, I believe more people will become informed and motivated to participate in elections here at the grassroots level.”
In conclusion, the lack of civic education in Nigeria poses a serious threat to our democratic future. By investing in civic education and fostering a culture of civic engagement, Nigeria can empower its citizens, strengthen its democracy, and build a more just and equitable society.
The initiative is supported by Yiaga Africa as part of the closeout of the “Turn Up Democracy” project under the Partnership to Engage, Reform, and Learn (PERL) with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
