Nigerians will elect their new president on 25 February, and the sitting President is not running for re-election. With three major candidates, the outcome of the election is up in the air. Africa’s largest democracy struggles with inflation, high unemployment, and violent internal conflicts.

With new names on the ticket, a new election law, and new electoral tools, could this mean a new start for democracy in Nigeria? How does this play out in the contentious North-South divide? What role do social media play among the country’s large young population?

We have invited Oludotun Babayemi (Cloneshouse), Ifeaanu Ajekiigbe (master student at UiB), along with moderator Pauline Lemaire (CMI) to a conversation about the upcoming election.

Note: The event will take place in Jekteviksbakken 31. It is also possible to join through Zoom. Breakfast will be served.

Panel

Oludotun Babayemi is a monitoring, evaluation, and learning specialist at Cloneshouse, and the co-founder of Connected Development. He creates technology-enabled monitoring and evaluation systems for Nigeria’s government, nongovernment, and private foundations. He has his postgraduate Master’s degree in International Development and Development Evaluation from the University of London, UK, and the University of Saarland, Germany, respectively.

Ifeaanu Ajekiigbe is a Nigerian master student at the Center for International Health, UiB. He is interested in the health of migrant populations in Norway, and, is currently assessing the extent to which teachings in medicine ascertain the training of more culturally competent medical practitioners. Ifeaanu enjoys discussing his insights on cultural diversity and the Nigerian political landscape.

Pauline Lemaire is a doctoral candidate at the department of Comparative politics, UiB and researcher at CMI, investigating how African regimes use and regulate social media. Previously, she worked as a senior analyst focusing on the political and security situation in Nigeria.

(Photo: Commonwealth Secretariat, Flickr)