Reflections on laying the foundations for research in Nigeria

Dec 11, 2024

Leading the Nigerian team and working closely with the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) has been a transformative experience. For too long, young people aged 18–24 have been denied a meaningful voice in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta.

Through direct engagement with the YAC and prominent youth groups like the Ijaw Youth Council, the R-NEET project offers an opportunity to draw on invaluable insider (and indigenous) perspectives on the factors contributing to depression, and the systems on which young people can draw to build their resilience to this type of mental ill-health. While I’ve previously collaborated with key figures in the Ogoni and Ijaw movements and grassroots organizations focused on women, peace, and security, this marks my first project exclusively dedicated to centring youth voices – and what an exciting opportunity it is!

During this first year of the project, the YAC have played a pivotal role in advising us and shaping the survey instruments we’re using. Early in the project, alongside our community partners—YEAC, MHEI, and the YAC—we engaged with prominent Kings in Bayelsa and Rivers State, introducing the R-NEET project to the elders. Their blessings and endorsement of the initiative were deeply encouraging and signalled the community’s support for youth-focused engagement. While challenges are inevitable, this initial outreach has established vital communication channels at the grassroots level, paving the way for more inclusive and impactful collaboration.

This year has also been an opportunity to familiarise myself with the multiple methods the R-NEET project will deploy. As an African navigating through Work Package 1 (contextual analysis and systematic review) and in preparing for.co-leading Work Package 2 (survey), I see us deliberately trying to re-centre attention on the everyday realities of young men and women. These realities encompass their experiences of conflict, inequality, poverty, and environmental challenges, and how they navigate these obstacles to achieve better-than-expected outcomes in terms of their mental health.

Preparing for Work Package 2 (survey) in particular has been very enriching. Following a collaborative process as the research team identifying suitable instruments on which to draw and articulating variation in cultural and linguistic norms across the two sites, and obtaining ethical approval, Dr Fyneface, Prof Allen and I worked with our YAC to pilot the instrument. It was most eye-opening. Not only am I lucky enough to engage with NEET youth within different cultural settings, I was able to have an active engagement with a sample of the participants. I was totally amazed to see it up close. I’ve seen my fair share of the major issues affecting various groups in the region; knowing this, taking myself to and showing my interest in their wellbeing helped open up interesting dialogues. It is important to take yourself to the level of the groups you are working with in order to build that trust needed for data collection. I knew we would face challenges, including the use of technology, thankfully, I work with a really supportive and helpful team including the YAC. Upon completion of the pilot survey, I felt really pleased with what we’d achieved.

This project embodies a commitment to decolonizing the ways knowledge is gathered in Africa. By prioritizing authentic and participatory methodologies, we aim to uncover what is real in the lives of young people in the Niger Delta. This approach not only reveals the factors that perpetuate inequalities and exclusion but also identifies pathways to achieving outcomes that defy expectations, even in the face of significant adversity. The approach is vital for capturing how the youth in the Niger Delta construct knowledge of threat and insecurity.

Skip to content