Oluwafemi John

Head of Research & Programs, @Kimpact_Global | Democracy Data Analyst | Electoral Security Expert || @YALIRLCWA alumnus || @IRIGenDem Member.

[Oluwafemi John @femijohn0]

Self-motivation is beautiful.

Not everyone needs to get motivated by measuring up to others' standards.

I recently got back on LinkedIn after I ran five years ago, simply because i felt overwhelmed then. Sometimes, you need to embrace your uniqueness, and focus on your growth.

[Bruno Fernandes @B_Fernandes8]

how can I assist you? ☕

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Reflecting on the State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria 2025 Report launch, these words remained with us.

The report shifts the focus of democracy from systems to outcomes.

Read the full report: https://t.co/0uXp8P3ylG

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Highlights from the launch of The State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria Report 2025.

Three days later and these moments bring back the tone of the room, and the shared recognition that democratic performance must be examined more closely across Nigeria’s states.

If you care about how governance, accountability, and representation show up in statistic, measured across Nigeria, explore the full report: https://t.co/n1HyyUC4UE.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Two different reflections from the launch of the State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria 2025 Report, but both pointing to the same reality: democracy cannot improve through institutions, citizens, or policy actors working in isolation.

Read the full report at: https://t.co/n1HyyUC4UE.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

“What the findings show is that no state is currently operating at an excellent democratic standard.”

Speaking on @NewsCentralTV, KDI's Team Lead Bukola Idowu, broke down what the State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria 2025 Report reveals; highlighting the different democratic realities across states and why citizens need to engage government with data like the State of Democracy Report.

The report allows citizens to examine state performance dimension by dimension, identify governance gaps, and ask harder questions around electoral participation, accountability, representation, and institutional performance.

If democracy is to improve, citizens must know what the gaps are, where they are, and how to address them.

Explore the full report: https://t.co/n1HyyUC4UE.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

The data is now in your hands.

The State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria 2025 Report is now available; offering a data-driven assessment of how democracy is functioning across states.

This is not a judgement of whether democracy exists, but a closer look at how it is working in practice, where progress is being made, and where gaps remain.

Download, explore, and engage with the evidence shaping conversations on accountability, participation, and governance.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Today, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) released the State of Democracy in Nigeria Report 2025, a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of how democracy functions across all 36 states.

Beyond elections and institutions, the report interrogates a deeper question, are democratic processes translating into accountability, inclusion, and real governance outcomes?

This is not a binary of success or failure.
It is a call to understand where the gaps exist, and what must change.

Congratulations, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI)!

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Madam Ene Ede delivered a call to action.

“Nobody can sit on the fence at this time. We are facing existential problems in Nigeria.”

She also raised a critical issue of accountability, emphasising that obligations owed must be addressed and enforced, not ignored.

In her words, she asked; “What can we do? We are being owed, and we need to enforce the repayment.”

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Achike Chude, National Secretary of the NUJ, pointed to a critical reality often overlooked.

“The most vulnerable and critical period in any nation is the time of transition.”

He stressed that Nigeria cannot afford a slow, generational approach to democratic development. Unlike older democracies, the timeline is compressed—and the stakes are higher.

“We do not have that time.”

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Prof. Earnest Ereke challenged prevailing ideas about how democracy is framed and practiced.

He questioned the notion of labeling democracy as “liberal” or “illiberal,” noting that such distinctions can contribute to structural problems rather than resolve them.

At the state level, he warned, institutional capture often goes unnoticed, yet its impact is significant.
“When institutions are pocketed, it becomes dangerous, especially where scrutiny is limited.”

He also pointed to the legislature as a critical, but underutilized, bridge between government and the people. Strengthening this connection, he argued, requires deeper public engagement and meaningful reform within the legislative system.

His remarks bring the focus back to institutional accountability, and the need to make governance more visible, participatory, and responsive.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Oluwafemi John @femijohn0 reframed how the Democracy Performance Index should be understood.

Rather than a binary of strong or weak, good or bad, the Index is a tool for learning, one that reveals patterns, gaps, and opportunities across states.

With no state reaching high participation, all states falling below acceptable inclusion levels, and over half operating below functional institutional standards, the data is not just evaluative, it is instructive.

The value lies in what can be taken forward:
what is working, what is not, and what can be improved.

In his words, "there is much to learn, and even more to act on."

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Following the presentation of findings, the data is beginning to shape the conversation.

The picture across states is stark:
No state reaches high electoral participation, with 97.2% falling below that standard.

Political inclusion remains the weakest dimension, with 100% of states below acceptable levels.

And while institutions are present, 58.3% of states operate below functional institutional standards.

Why does participation not translate into accountability? Why do systems exist without delivering outcomes? What structural gaps continue to limit inclusion across states?

The presentation has laid out difficult but necessary realities, setting the stage for what comes next.

#StrengtheningDemocracy #StateofDemocracyinNigeria

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

“Democracy itself is contested in definition across different people and cultures, how much more its practice?

This suggests we are often dealing with different forms of democracy, both liberal and illiberal.”

What does democracy actually look like in practice?
Who is it working for?
Where is it falling short?

In his keynote address, Prof. Adetunji Ogunyemi moved the conversation beyond formalities, grounding it in the difficult but necessary questions that shape how democracy is experienced, not just defined.

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Goodwill messages from key stakeholders reinforced a shared understanding; strengthening democracy requires alignment across sectors, not isolated efforts.

Different perspectives, different mandates, with one underlying reality and the work ahead.

In their goodwill messages, Omolara Akinyeye the Deputy Executive Director at Policy Legal and Advocacy Center (PLAC) and Busari Sarafadeen, the Director General Conference of Speakers of State Legislators in Nigeria, both congratulated KDI on the launch of the report.

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Our Team Lead at Kimpact Development Initiative, Bukola Idowu, opened the day by setting a clear direction for the conversations ahead.

As Nigeria approaches critical national decisions, he emphasized the need to move beyond assumptions and engage with democracy through evidence, data and lived realities.

In his words: "Democracy is active across states but does not necessarily translate into accountable governance." He advised participants not to see the report as a final verdict, but a recommendation and a look at the realities that should lead us back to the drawing board for the future of democracy.

From these realities, the work on strengthening democracy continues.

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

27 years after Nigeria’s return to unbroken civilian rule, a deeper question remains: how is democracy really functioning across the states?

At Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), we invested months of research, data collection, expert insights, and state-level reviews to understand what is working, what isn’t, and where it matters most.

Tomorrow, we unveil the State of Democracy in Nigeria 2025 Report.

36 states, 36 different realities with one lens - data.

Join us live on YouTube: https://t.co/eAPq5CqvpT

See you in the room!

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Tomorrow, we unveil the State of Democracy in Nigeria Report.

A data-driven look at how democracy is functioning across all 36 states, and a shift toward grounding the conversation in data and evidence, not assumptions.

The insights, the questions, the conversations that follow, get ready!

📍 Abuja
🕙 10:00 AM

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Democracy cannot be measured by structures alone, it must be assessed by how it works in practice.

Tomorrow, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) will launch the State of Democracy Performance in Nigeria Report, a data-driven assessment of how democracy is functioning across all 36 states.

This report goes beyond theory, examining electoral participation, inclusion, transparency, rule of law, and civic space through both institutional data and lived citizen experience. More than a publication, it introduces a tool for tracking progress, identifying gaps, and strengthening accountability at the level closest to citizens.

The conversation on democracy must evolve, and this is a step in that direction.

#StrengtheningDemocracy

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

INEC’s funding timeline has been shortened, from 1 year to 6 months under Section 3 of the Electoral Act.

At the same time, Section 84(2) now limits party primaries to direct and consensus, removing indirect primaries.

As parties position for 2027, these changes shape how prepared institutions are and how candidates emerge.

Do they improve efficiency or introduce new risks to the process?

#YERPNaija #ElectoralReform

[Kimpact Development Initiative @Kimpact_Global]

Democracy does not sustain itself, it requires data, oversight, and an active civic space.

At Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), our work spans Policy Advocacy, Elections, and Citizen Participation, supported by civic-tech platforms like Polimoney, Naija Elections, and the Election Petition Tribunal (EPT) Dashboard. We also continue to expand our work through key initiatives such as the Voter Education Manual and its youth-friendly version, as well as the Civic and Voter Education CDS developed in partnership with NYSC and INEC. Through publications like Beyond the Figures, Beyond the Protests, and others, we translate complex democratic issues into accessible, data-backed insights.

If you care about electoral integrity, political finance transparency, the civic space, and governance reform in Nigeria, this is your ecosystem.

Follow us and stay connected to a credible, data-driven ecosystem shaping democratic accountability.

#KDI #StrengtheningDemocracy