CMA Stakeholders, and the Students who attended the CMA Public Forum on Saturday.
By Ita Williams, Calabar
A one-day forum on “Conscientization and Society: CMA as Critique of the Present and Vision of the Future” was held on Saturday at the Marian Hotel in Calabar, bringing together educators, and students to reflect on social transformation and youth development in Nigeria.
The event, organised under the Conscientizing Male Adolescents (CMA) programme, focused on reviewing its progress and charting a path for the year ahead, with particular emphasis on building critical consciousness among young boys.
Speaking at the forum, Coordinator of the Socialist Library and Archives (SOLAR), Chido Onumah, said the gathering was not only to discuss societal issues but also to honour two influential intellectuals, the late Comrade Bene Madunagu and Comrade Biodun Jeyifo.
“We gather today not only to discuss ‘Conscientization and Society,’ but also to honour two remarkable revolutionary intellectuals whose lives continue to inspire struggle and hope,” Onumah stated.
He described Madunagu, whose 79th posthumous birthday was marked, as “a fearless feminist, teacher, and lifelong fighter for justice,” noting her contributions to education, activism, and youth empowerment, as well as her role on SOLAR’s Board of Advisers.
Onumah also paid tribute to Jeyifo, who turned 80 in January and passed away on February 11, 2026, describing him as “a brilliant scholar and committed public intellectual who believed that knowledge must serve liberation and never remain neutral in the face of injustice.”
The forum highlighted the concept of conscientization as a process that goes beyond formal education, encouraging individuals to develop critical awareness of societal contradictions such as patriarchy, inequality, and systemic injustice, and to take action to address them.
Participants noted that many of Nigeria’s pressing challenges, including gender-based violence, lack of access to healthcare, unemployment, poverty, and rising crime, are interconnected and rooted in deeper structural inequalities within society.
The CMA programme, established in 1994, was presented as a strategic initiative aimed at addressing these issues through critical education, focusing on topics such as sexism, human rights, reproductive health, and cultural barriers to gender equality among adolescent boys.
According to organisers, the programme has trained over 13,500 young men in the past three decades, equipping them with the tools to challenge patriarchal norms and promote gender equity, while fostering a generation of socially conscious citizens.
In his closing remarks, CMA Coordinator, Dr. Uwe Edeke, stressed the importance of sustained advocacy, stating, “We live in a male-dominated society where the rights of women and children are often hindered. The essence of CMA is to question the roots of oppression and prepare young boys to become agents of change.”
The event was attended by students from selected schools across Cross River State.
