The Policy Vault Insights and Opinions

February 22, 2023 Add to library

Looking Forward to Nigeria’s General Elections: What are the Big Issues? 

On February 25 and March 11, 2023, Nigerians will vote in the presidential and gubernatorial elections following a competitive electoral campaign where national issues such as unemployment, inflation, fuel scarcity, insecurity, fuel subsidy and theft, public sector corruption, and university lecturers’ strikes have dominated public discussions. The All Progressives Congress’ Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi are the major candidates heading into the weekend polls, with the New Nigeria People’s Party’s Rabiu Kwankwaso playing the role of spoiler. While Nigerians would no doubt appreciate the fervour with which candidates have shared their plans with them, several other factors will play a key role in shaping the outcome of the elections. We consider these factors briefly.

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February 22, 2023 Add to library

Electoral Violence: A Threat to Safe & Credible Elections in 2023 

As Nigerians vote in the general elections this weekend, the public expects the process to be more credible than previous elections given the new Electoral Act, which has been designed to address the disenfranchisement of citizens and ensure fairness, credibility, and transparency in Nigerian elections. However, there are still concerns about the state of insecurity in the country. For instance, recent security warnings from the United State Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria advising their citizens not to travel to 15 states in the country due to insecurity— crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping—have exacerbated public fears. In what follows, we take a brief look at the historical issues of electoral violence in Nigeria, how these issues might pose a threat to the 2023 elections, and the measures that can be taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to prevent violence in during the 2023 elections and in future elections.

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February 21, 2023 Add to library

Presidential Candidates and Their Lofty Plans 

Ahead of this year’s general elections in Nigeria, presidential candidates have released their manifestos to tackle a host of issues from the economy and energy to national security. In this article we explore each of these three pillars—economy, energy, and national security—in depth.

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November 30, 2022 Add to library

A New Approach to Addressing Nigeria’s Malnutrition Challenge

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of nutrition, combating malnutrition in all its forms at both national and subnational levels requires a holistic approach that is multisectoral. Multisectoral collaboration for food and nutrition can pull together all stakeholders in relevant issue areas to ensure a better understanding of the situation, come up with solutions, and take broader actions against malnutrition in the country. That is the rationale behind the adoption of the National Multisectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN) analyzed in this article.

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