Northwestern Events Calendar

Jun
1
2015

Paths to Political Reconciliation in Nigeria

When: Monday, June 1, 2015
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM CT

Where: 620 Library Place, 620 Library Place , Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students

Contact: Program of African Studies   (847) 491-7323

Group: Program of African Studies

Category: Lectures & Meetings

Description:

Abstract
Nigeria’s 2015 national elections took place amid tensions that were without precedent since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999. This was due in part to the competitive nature of the election, which for the first time pitted two evenly-matched parties against one another. It was also due to concerns, based on past experience and the intemperate language routinely deployed by political candidates and their supporters, that the polling would be accompanied by violence and electoral fraud. On top of that, the buildup to the vote was dominated by fears that Boko Haram insurgents from the country’s northeast would violently disrupt the process. Given the weight of these concerns, the outcome—a largely peaceful and credible process that resulted in the transfer of power from one party to another for the first time in Nigerian history—was as surprising as it was inspiring.
Looking ahead, Nigerians have a golden opportunity to build on the positive momentum of the 2015 elections and devote serious attention to addressing some of the structural, ethnic, regional, and religious fault lines that prevent political progress and work against efforts to strengthen national unity. Drawing upon discussions with Nigerian civil society representatives, government officials, politicians, and other thought leaders over the past 18 months, I suggest some ways in which this can be done, including the setting up of an election offences tribunal and making constitutional changes that militate against the winner-takes-all nature of Nigerian politics. I will also consider how the United States can be useful in encouraging this process of reflection and reform.


Biography

Richard Downie is deputy director and fellow with the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a foreign policy think tank based in Washington, DC. In this role, he analyzes emerging political, economic, social, and security trends in sub-Saharan Africa with the aim of informing U.S. policymakers, the U.S. military, and members of Congress. For the past 18 months, a big focus of his work has been a project examining ways to reduce tensions before, during, and after Nigeria’s forthcoming elections. In addition to his role with the Africa Program, Richard works for the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS where he is currently undertaking a multi-country assessment of U.S. global health investments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Richard joined CSIS following a decade-long career in journalism. He was a reporter for several newspapers in the United Kingdom before joining the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where he worked as a senior broadcast journalist covering the leading international stories of the day for radio and television.

Since then, he has conducted research and completed writing projects on Africa for the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is a contributor to the Africa section of Freedom House’s annual report, Freedom In the World. He is a frequent commentator on African issues for the BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, and other international media. He teaches seminars on U.S. foreign policy in Africa at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, part of the National Defense University; and the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. Richard holds a master’s degree in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. in modern history from Oxford University.

 

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