Nigeria’s elections and their security, economic, and crime implications

On February 25, Nigerians will vote for their next president and national assembly, and on March 9, for their state governors and state houses of assembly. In a break with established patterns, the presidential field features more candidates, including from outside of traditional poles of political power. Young voters under 35, demanding better economic and social opportunities and meaningful reduction in corruption and abuses of power, constitute more than 40 percent of registered voters. The issues at stake are large: The security situation across Nigeria deteriorated significantly over the past three years, and economically, Nigeria performs below what it needs to accommodate the aspirations of its young population while corruption and various forms of state dysfunction remain high.

On February 7, the Brookings Africa Security Initiative and the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors hosted a panel to explore the electoral dynamics and their implications for security, nonstate armed actors, the economy, corruption and crime, and Nigeria’s foreign policy.

Viewers submitted questions via e-mail to [email protected] or via Twitter at #NigerianElection.