Public Affairs Analyst

The preparation for the 2015 general elections in Nigeria is at a fever pitch. On October 1 the Independent National Electoral Commission will issue Notice of Election while political party primaries for the nomination of candidates will follow swiftly from October 2 – December 11, 2014. INEC had scheduled the next general polls for February 14 and 28, 2015. As part of the preparations the International Republican Institute in collaboration with Centre for Democracy and Development on August 27 organized a roundtable on how to ensure campaign finance enforcement during the looming general elections. I was engaged to make a presentation on the topic “Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies of Enhancing Campaign Finance Regulations Ahead of 2015 General Elections”. In that paper, I observed that Nigeria has one of the most robust party finance regulations in Africa nay the world. Some of these legislations are contained in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, Electoral ...

“The increased cases of violence and attacks in Nigeria which have been characterised by loss of lives and properties continue to be a source of concern for all. These range from terrorist attacks in the North to ethnic and religious violence in different parts of the country. Persons with disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable groups in times of such insecurity and violence. There are an estimated 22 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria making up 10 per cent of the population. Such attacks magnify their disabilities; leave the PWDs and their care-givers without adequate protection and serve to swell the growing numbers of persons with disabilities in Nigeria. Sadly, the PWDs in Nigeria remain invisible during the security and emergency planning and response. ” —David Anyaele, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, August 25, 2014 On September 16, 2014, I was a guest speaker at the Disability Awareness Week organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, La...