By Ephraims T. Sheyin
Malam Ali M. Ali, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has emphasised the need to uphold the legacy of inclusion and equal citizenship promoted by Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first civilian President.
Ali, in a lecture delivered at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Alumni Association 2026 International Convention in Abuja on Saturday, declared that the question of inclusion was of utmost importance to the nation’s quest for unity, growth and cohesion.
The theme of the lecture was: “Innovation, Integrity and Inclusion: Rekindling the Zik Vision For A New Era”.
The managing director noted that the late sage, popularly known as Zik, focused his nationalism on overcoming colonial racial hierarchy and asserting African dignity, and pointed out that the current challenges were rather different.
He said “our challenge today is to confront the internal divisions that can cause Nigerians to see themselves first through narrower identities – ethnic, regional, religious, class or political partisanship.
“Nigeria’s diversity is a fact. The question then is whether diversity becomes a source of strength or a mechanism of fragmentation and segmentation.
“The answer lies in citizenship. A Nigerian must be able to say – my future is secure here. My identity does not disqualify me from opportunity.
“A Nigerian should also be able to say that his or her region does not determine the limits of one’s ambition.
“My religion should not determine the quality of justice I receive. My political affiliation does not determine whether the state protects me.
“This is inclusion. It does not mean eliminating differences. It means equalising citizenship.”
He urged leaders to treat every Nigerian as an equal stakeholder in the Nigerian project, with opportunities equally distributed to offer everyone the chance to grow and contribute to growth.
According to him, inclusion must move beyond rhetoric.
“It must mean meaningful access to education, healthcare, justice, economic opportunity, political participation, digital connectivity, finance, security and leadership.
“A young person from Maiduguri, Aba, Sokoto, Onitsha, Yenagoa, Kano, Ibadan, Makurdi or Oshogbo should feel that the Nigerian project belongs equally to all. This is the ultimate test of nationhood”, he added.
Ali also emphasised the need for institutional integrity that would drive a fair, strong and progressive Nigeria.
He said “it means we must have transparent rules, predictable institutions, a professional public service and accountable leadership.
“We must also have credible justice, independent oversight, responsible management of public resources, evidence-based policymaking and meaningful consequences for abuse of office.
“The question should, therefore, not only be: ‘are our leaders honest?” It should also be: “Are our institutions designed to make dishonesty difficult?
“This is where Zik’s vision must be modernised. The Nigeria of the 1930s and 1960s required nationalist mobilisation. The Nigeria of the 21st century requires institutional mobilisation.
“We must build systems that survive personalities. Institutions must become stronger than individuals. Rules must become stronger than relationships. Public interest must become stronger than patronage. This is the enduring architecture of integrity.”
He cautioned the alumni of NAU against romanticising the past, urging them to rather interrogate it and understand the principles that animated Zik’s public life and how they could illuminate the challenges of contemporary Nigeria.
Noting that Zik’s name is associated with a university, an airport, a currency note and chapters in Nigeria’s political history, he stated that all such honours represented an idea.
“That idea is that Africans could think for themselves, organise themselves, govern themselves and claim their rightful place in the comity of nations,” he said.
According to him, the important poser today remains the vision Zik had for Nigeria which leaders must imbibe.
He recalled that Zik deployed journalism, education, business, political organisation, public speaking, constitutional engagement and international diplomacy as instruments of national development.
“When we speak of innovation today, our minds immediately turn to artificial intelligence, fintech, biotechnology, digital platforms, robotics, renewable energy, big data and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“But, innovation is older than technology. Innovation is the capacity to see possibilities where others see limitations.
“In this sense, Zik was an innovator. Consider his journalism. At a time when colonial authority exercised enormous influence over the political narrative, he understood that control of the narrative was, itself, a form of power.
“He, therefore, built a media platform capable of reaching beyond the conventional educated elite. He transformed information into mobilisation. Journalism into civic education. Communication into nation-building.”
Ali challenged the NAU alumni to deploy the knowledge gained in the institution into promoting self-reliance.
“You must lead Nigeria’s charge to move from being primarily a market for other people’s inventions to becoming a laboratory for solving its own problems,” he said.
He said that the alumni must interrogate Zik’s intellectual DNA, especially his profound belief in the transformative power of education.
“His political career was closely associated with institution-building, including the establishment of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1960.
“The deeper lesson is unmistakable. Education was not simply preparation for employment. It was preparation for citizenship, leadership and civilisation.
“The university of the future, which is already here, cannot merely produce graduates who ask: ‘what job can I get?’
“It must produce citizens capable of asking: ‘What problem can I solve?” And, beyond that: “What institution can I build?
“That is the movement from credentialism to capacity. From degree acquisition to knowledge creation. From job-seeking to enterprise creation. From examination success to societal impact. From individual advancement to collective transformation.”
Ali also spoke of the need for a broader view of issues as propagated by Zik.
“There is another dimension of his legacy that deserves renewed attention: Pan-Africanism.
“Azikiwe was not concerned with Nigerian independence in isolation. He understood that Nigeria’s destiny was intertwined with the destiny of Africa.
“That insight is even more relevant today. Individual African countries cannot solve every strategic challenge alone.
“Trade is increasingly continental. Security threats are transnational. Technology is global. Capital is mobile. Climate change recognises no borders. Migration is continental. Supply chains cross jurisdictions.
“The Nigeria that Azikiwe imagined, therefore, cannot be merely inward-looking. It must be a Nigeria confident enough to lead Africa, while humble enough to learn from Africa.
“It must be a Nigeria that sees the African Continental Free Trade Area not merely as a trade arrangement, but as an opportunity to build a larger economic and knowledge ecosystem.
“The new Pan-Africanism must be practical. It must connect markets, knowledge, infrastructure, institutions, and people.”
He emphasised the need for Africa to achieve knowledge independence and produce research that defines developmental choices.
He also challenged researchers to churn out technology that solves peculiar problems and generate globally competitive patents.
The NAN boss emphasised the need to train young people who could combine knowledge with character, creativity and citizenship.
“That is why the Zik legacy must not become nostalgia. Zik must become a challenge. A challenge to the alumni.
“What are you building? A challenge to every professional. What institutions are you strengthening? Zik must become a challenge to every entrepreneur. What Nigerian problem are you solving?
“The Zik legacy should also be a challenge to every public servant. What legacy will survive your tenure? And to every academic, what knowledge are you creating? And to every citizen – what are you contributing to the Nigeria you demand?”
Ali cautioned Nigerians against seeking to build leaders on personal heroism.
“Leaders must be built on institutional reliability. This project needs competence over connection; merit over patronage; transparency, service over self-enrichment; accountability over impunity.
“Integrity must be embedded in procurement, recruitment, budgeting, regulation, justice and public administration.
“The objective is not merely to find honest individuals. It is to build systems in which honesty is rewarded, abuse is detected and public trust is protected,” he said.
He challenged the NAU alumni to institute a Zik Innovation Fund to support young Nigerian researchers, entrepreneurs and inventors.
Ali also challenged the old students to set up a Zik Public Leadership Academy to nurture ethical, competent and intellectually grounded future public servants.(NAN)
Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
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