Yesterday, the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy held an event in Washington D.C. with a panel discussion about the impact of past and present corruption on the state of Nigerian democracy. Christopher O’Conner, National Endowment for Democracy Program Officer for West Africa, hosted the discussion. From the description of the NED event:
In 2015, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was elected by citizens inspired by his assurances to fight corruption, and his government has since taken steps to keep this promise. Initiatives include strengthening anti-corruption institutions, implementing fiscal reforms, and joining the Open Government Partnership. However, the initial excitement is turning into disenchantment as Nigerian voters realize that, despite Buhari’s good intentions, corruption remains deeply entrenched in their country.
Recent state and parliamentary elections have witnessed low voter turnout, while public trust in politicians and the state continues to decline. In his presentation, Oludotun Babayemi will examine how the structure of Nigeria’s political institutions perpetuate corrupt practices. He will also offer recommendations on how both domestic organizations and international funders can tackle corruption, including the use of citizen-led initiatives such as Follow the Money. Debra LaPrevotte will offer comments.
The NED video below features some impressive speakers including Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow Oludotun Babayemi and Senior Investigator from the Sentry, Debra LaPrevotte. The Sentry, co-founded by George Clooney, is a “team of policy analysts, regional experts, and financial forensic investigators” working in Africa. More on the video speakers from NED:
Mr. Oludotun Babayemi is co-founder of Connected Development (CODE), an Abuja-based organization that uses online and offline tools to promote accountability and transparency in Nigeria. Through CODE’s Follow the Money project, he and his team advocate for and track the disbursement of funds for local communities. Mr. Babayemi is also lead development consultant with Cloneshouse Nigeria, an organization that offers training and consultancy services on monitoring and evaluation to state and non-state actors. As a Data Fellow with the Open Knowledge Foundation School (2014–present), he has trained over 600 journalists and nonprofit leaders on how to use available data to ensure transparency and accountability. From 2009 to 2014, he served as country director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour Project in Nigeria.
Ms. Debra LaPrevotte is the Senior Investigator for The Sentry, which seeks to disrupt and ultimately dismantle the network of perpetrators, facilitators, and enablers who fund and profit from Africa’s deadliest conflicts. Prior to joining The Sentry, Ms. LaPrevotte retired after 20 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She served as a Supervisory Special Agent on the International Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters. Ms. LaPrevotte was instrumental in initiating the FBI’s Kleptocracy program and seized more than $1 billion dollars from foreign corrupt officials. She has spent the past 16 years working international corruption investigations. She is also a Forensic Scientist and spent several years on the FBI’s Evidence Response Team Unit at the FBI Lab.
Christopher O’Connor is a Program Officer for West Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Mr. O’Connor oversees the Endowment’s civil society support program for Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana, which is aimed at strengthening democracy, improving human rights, and consolidating peace. Prior to joining NED, Christopher served as an International Development Fellow with Catholic Relief Services in Abuja, Nigeria, where he worked on peacebuilding and good governance projects. He received his MA in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and his BA in History from Washington and Lee University.
The video is about an hour and a half. Enjoy!
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