The Niger Delta: Prospects for Elections and the Future Reform Agenda

This is the second of four conferences on Nigeria's 2007 elections, jointly sponsored by the WoodrowWilson International Center for Scholars, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the African Studies Program at Johns Hopkins-SAIS and the African Studies Program at Northwestern University.

Speakers

8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome

• J. Stephen Morrison, CSIS
  Presentation: Key Trend Lines in the Niger Delta
• Michael Wallace Baca, CSIS
• Alexander Iannaccone, CSIS

9:15 – 11:00 Panel I: The Close-in View

Chair: Akwe Amosu, Open Society Institute

Panelists:

• Precious Omuku, Shell Oil Company
• Oronto Douglas, Environmental Rights Action
• Dimieari Von Kemedi, Our Niger Delta
• Chris Albin-Lackey, Human Rights Watch

Discussants:

• Phillip van Niekerk, Good Governance Group
• MichaelWatts, University of California, Berkeley

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:30 Panel II: Future Reform and Strategies for External Support

Chair: David Smock, United States Institute of Peace

Panelists:

• Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Defense
• Phil Carter, Director, Office of West African Affairs U.S. Department of State
• David Goldwynm, Goldwyn International Strategies, LLC