Kamsiyochukwu Mbamalu
Nigerian poet and theatre maker Dike Chukwumerije has called for renewed civic engagement among young Nigerians as his production, Naija Spirit, continued its nationwide tour with a performance at the University of Lagos on Saturday.
The performance, held at the Faculty of Environmental Studies Auditorium, is part of a tour across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to stimulate conversations around national identity, unity, civic responsibility and the role of young people in shaping the country’s future.
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Presented under the Simply Poetry Foundation’s social-change initiative, Naija Spirit combines poetry, music, drama and storytelling.
“We define the Naija spirit as a spirit of resilience — an ability to make art out of chaos, to make beauty out of poverty,” Chukwumerije said.
The production features a cast of about 15 performers from different regions, age groups and backgrounds, including emerging artists.
“We don’t want to just preach it with our mouth. We want to preach it with our conduct and our actions,” he said.
Chukwumerije said the tour deliberately targets universities and younger audiences outside the conventional elite theatre audience.
“We wanted to go outside of the normal theatre-going audience – the elites – because that’s not really our target audience. The target audience is younger people,” he said.
With support from the Ford Foundation, the production is travelling across the six zones ahead of upcoming elections, encouraging voter participation and constructive civic engagement.
“There was a time when you didn’t say sectional things in public. It was politically correct to talk about One Nigeria – but now that political correctness is gone,” Chukwumerije said.
“We want the audience to first of all be inspired to engage once more with the whole question of making Nigeria a better place,” he added.
According to Dike Chukwumerije, the tour continues on Saturday, 28 Nov. 2026 at Safar Hall, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
