THE NIGERIA SOCIAL FORUM

The Nigerian Social Forum (NSF) is an open meeting place where groups and movements of civil society opposed to neo-liberalism and a Nigeria dominated by capital and liberal thinking congregate. It is a space that opposes any form of imperialism, unbridled capitalism, but engaged in building a Nigerian society centred on the human person.

It is about Nigerians coming together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, to formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. The NSF proposes to debate alternative means to building a Nigeria, which respects universal human rights and those of all men, women, girls and boys, grounded in democratic African and International systems and institutions at the service of social justice, equality and the sovereignty of peoples.

 

Introduction

One key achievement of grassroots movement across the world, which is also a key lesson for the global movement against poverty and the new wave of thinking in the development sector, is the increasing realization of the role of mass groupings (coalitions, networks or umbrella bodies) as a force for change.

The aim of such social forces is simply not to emphasize projects, provide institutional support to organizations, roll out capacity building workshops, or provide services, but to control resources, create wealth, and target the structural constraints that shape the day to day life of peoples. These movements have consistently posed the question of social ownership and democratic management of resources.

Nigeria Social Forum, an emanation of the World and African Social Fora has increasingly gained momentum in Nigeria. In the context of organizing in Nigeria and the need to create the desired change; it is therefore no surprise that the Nigeria Social Forum since its emergence is continuously building a momentum of galvanizing the various strands of struggles and movements into a formidable force for advancing the call for a more people-oriented governance and structures, towards actualizing a just and egalitarian society called Nigeria.