Abuja, Nigeria. January 9th, 2018 – Without doubt, security is an enabler of national development so there can be no sustainable development without peace and security hence the strategic nature of security is constantly evolving. From the terror strikes in the North-East to the herdsmen and farmers conflicts in the North-Central to militants operating in the South-South, the challenge of security is a national issue and no region in Nigeria is insulated. The tension between herdsmen and farming communities has been in existence for years, but has seen dramatic escalation in recent times. For instance, the most recent attacks occurred on New Year’s Eve in Guma and Logo government areas of Benue State which involved the loss of about 50 lives and several properties as well as the displacement of people.[1] Herdsmen and farmers conflict in Nigeria is a land resource based conflict particularly in the North-Central region of Nigeria. Herders and farmers are in constant violent conflict over herdsmen’s increased need for access to grazing lands against the expansion of farmland by farmers. A past poll which highlighted the views and perceptions of Nigerians regarding the conflict between farmers and herdsmen revealed that 25 percent of the respondents confirmed knowing people who have been directly affected by the crisis. This could be either through loss of lives and properties, displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and economic destabilisation. Conflict is an aspect of life that is very often avoided for the fear of loss of lives and properties. The opinions of Nigerians regarding the level of satisfaction on how government has been handling the crisis revealed that half (50 percent) of the respondents surveyed were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of these conflicts. This supports the report by Government Advancement Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN) which revealed that 79 Percent of Nigerians rated the government’s handling of the recurrent clashes between herdsmen and farmers as generally poor. Also, it is worthy to note that the North-Central zone accounted for the highest number of Nigerians who specifically mentioned that they were dissatisfied with government’s handling of the crisis. This is no surprise considering the huge negative impact of these conflicts on the inhabitants of affected areas and across the nation as a whole. For instance, media reports estimate the number of deaths from such conflicts to be over 5000 from 2016 to 2017 and over $17 billion lost in properties within the same period.[2] In conclusion, a significant proportion of Nigerians have been directly or indirectly affected by the series of conflicts between herdsmen and farmers both in the past and in recent times. Also, there is a high level of dissatisfaction in the manner the government has been handling the crisis between the herdsmen and some farming communities in Nigeria. Thus, there is an urgent need for government and other stakeholders to adopt both short and long-term approaches in resolving the clashes. In the short term, there is need to strengthen security arrangements for herders and farming communities especially in the north-central zone in order to maintain operational readiness. There is also the need for effective communication and collaboration between the Join Task Force (JTF) and the local authorities, local vigilante groups and the citizens of the troubled areas in order to synergise efforts through useful information sharing to enhance community watch. Also, the Federal government should strengthen conflict mediation, resolution, reconciliation and peacebuilding mechanisms at state and local government levels, and even within rural communities particularly in areas that have been most affected by conflict. As a long-term approach, the government should establish grazing reserves in consenting states and improve livestock production and management in order to minimise contacts and friction between herders and farmers. Finally, it is clear that internal security has continued to be a major challenge in the country; hence there is an urgent need for the review of the national security policy and strategy to accommodate these new dimensions of security challenges arising from the herdsmen and farming communities’ clashes in Nigeria. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://thenationonlineng.net/benuerivers-killings-igp-orders-24hr-nationwide-patrol/ [2] https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/201829-nigeria-loses-14-billion-annually-herdsmen-farmers-clashes-report.html&source=gmail&ust=1515588797358000&usg=AFQjCNEM1uP_vdhZvBgALI7EQflXKC_d3Q [3] https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/farmersherders-clashes-claim-2500-lives-13-7bn-one-year-abdulsalami/

Abuja, Nigeria. December 26, 2017­­- Latest public opinion poll released by NOIPolls has revealed that despite the challenging economic situation and other negative socio-economic indices such as unemployment, inadequate basic social amenities, price inflation, high exchange rate, poverty, etc. that characterised 2017, [1] a larger proportion (41 percent) of the adult population of Nigerian describe 2017 as a good year mainly due to the good health they have enjoyed within the year. On the other hand, 32 percent of Nigerians consider 2017 as a bad year mainly due to bad economy and hardship. Further findings revealed that most Nigerians are mostly concerned about their safety/security and financial status during the holidays; this could be due to the heightened incidences of road accidents, armed robbery and burglary commonly reported during this season in Nigeria.[2] Moreover, the poll revealed that almost half (45 percent) of adult Nigerians will not be traveling during the holidays while 22 percent stated that they will be traveling. Finally, as the end of every year is usually characterised by personal reflections on achievements and plans for the next year, the main expectations of Nigerians for 2018 are business expansion (20 percent), improved economy (17 percent), and more job opportunities (16 percent) amongst other expectations. While these expectations are interwoven, the onus is on the government to create an enabling environment for business growth across the country, which will then translate to more job opportunities and an improved economy. These are the key findings from the End of the Year Poll conducted by NOIPolls in the week commencing 4th December 2017. Brief Background: End of the year for a typical Nigerian is a period for different celebrations, with diverse festivities ranging from parties to carnivals, social gatherings, family/school reunion, cultural fairs to annual sporting and/ art events, etc.To some Nigerians, it is a time to reflect and see what they have achieved thus far and what to expect in the next year. While most people would travel, others due to certain reasons may not travel and thus remain in their present locations. Against this background, NOIPolls conducted this poll to gauge the perceptions of Nigerians on how they have fared in 2017 and their plans for the festive season, as well as their expectations for the 2018. Key Findings One of the characteristics of Nigerians during festive seasons is traveling, ironically the report identified that almost half (45 percent) of the adult population surveyed disclosed that meaning they will not be travelling. This may be a reflection on how the economic situation might have affected them through the year and amongst other reasons. Contrarily, 22 percent stated that they would be travelling while 13 percent of the respondents are undecided, amongst other plans mentioned. As expected, the South-East and South-South zones accounted for the largest proportion of Nigerians who indicated that they would be traveling during the holidays. On personal wellbeing, findings revealed that Nigerians are mostly concerned about safety/security (20 percent) and financial status (20 percent) especially during this festive seasons. This is consequent upon the incidences of road accidents, armed robbery, burglary and the need to be financially buoyant which has been reported to characterize every end of the year in Nigeria[3]. Similarly, the report indicated that 17 percent of Nigerians are concerned about their standard of living which is directly proportional to their financial status and residents from the South-West zone are mostly particular about this issue. The end of every year marks a time when people count their achievements and make plans and resolutions for the following year. In the light of these, the survey gauged the opinion of Nigerians regarding their most important achievement in 2017 and it shows that 18 percent specified that they were promoted in their various fields of endeavour, 11 percent disclosed that they completed their education and 10 percent stated they acquired a landed property amongst other key achievements. Importantly, the poll ascertained how Nigerians perceived the year 2017 and interestingly, despite the challenging economic situation and other socio-economic indices such as high rate of unemployment, inadequate basic and social amenities, price inflation, high exchange rate, poverty, etc., 41 percent of the adult population of Nigerians surveyed acknowledged that 2017 was a good year. The GDP per Capita, in Nigeria, when adjusted by Purchasing Power Parity is equivalent to 31 percent (2,177 USD) of the world’s average which stands at 16,000 USD[4]. This is reflective of the level of optimism of Nigerians despite any circumstance they might be facing. Also the poll identified that 23 percent described the year as Fair and the other hand, 32 percent termed it as a “bad year”. Furthermore, the poll report ascertained the reasons why 41 percent of Nigerians described 2017 as a good year and results revealed that a larger share of the respondents (28 percent) stated that they enjoyed good health this year.  While 15 percent say it is because their businesses flourished, 12 percent indicated that their standard of living actually improved amongst other mentions. Also, the poll identified that the top 3 reasons why Nigerians described 2017 so far as fair year were because of poor economic situation (24 percent), slightly improved standard of living (17 percent) and high cost of living (15 percent) amongst other reasons. Similarly, majority of the respondents who considered 2017 to be a bad year said so mainly because of the bad economic situation (26 percent), economic hardship (17 percent) and the high cost of living’ (14 percent) in the country amongst other valid reasons. The end of every year is marked by personal moments and one of such is to make plans for the coming year. On this note, the perception of Nigerians regarding their expectations in the coming year were assessed and the findings revealed that the mainly expectation of Nigerians in the year 2018 are for them to expand their respective businesses (20 percent) and this is left to the government to create more opportunities and conducive platform for business growth across the country. In addition, 17 percent indicated that they would like the Nigerian economy to improve, which would directly affect their personal wellbeing. Also, 16 percent mentioned that they are looking forward to a better employment opportunities come 2018 amongst other vital reasons. Finally, the poll has revealed that almost half (45 percent) of the adult population of Nigerians surveyed will be staying at home during the festive period and this could be attributed to the poor economic situation in the country as whole. Also, it was evident from the responses on personal expectation for the year 2018 that most Nigerians are looking forward to an improved economy which is directly proportional to the improvement of their personal wellbeing. Ultimately, the Nigerian government and key stakeholders should make concerted efforts at creating enabling environment for the economy to continue to grow as it will definitely affect the lives of the common men. Also, the 2018 budget should be given a speedy passage by the Nigerian Senate so as to ensure maximum implementation, for every aspect of the Nigerian economy to experience fresh economic breath and sustainability as the nation continues to recover from recession. Survey Methods The opinion poll was conducted in the week of December 4th 2017. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited is the No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com you can also download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com

Abuja, Nigeria. December 19th, 2017 –  Since 2007, we have consistently delivered relevant key and vital information on various topical socio-burning issues as they relate to Nigeria. Over the past ten years, we have also conducted our flagship National Polls five times, with the latest national poll conducted this year 2017. This extensive public opinion poll which aims to evaluate the opinions and attitudes of Nigerians, covers a wide range of topics such as; Governance, Health, Education, Security, Energy, Telecommunications, Taxation, Banking and Financial Inclusion, Media Spending and Eating Patterns, Made-in-Nigeria Goods and on Being a Nigerian. HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE RESULTS OF THE NOIPOLLS 2017 NATIONAL POLL GOVERNANCE & INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE On governance, the 2017 National Poll rated the job performance of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the results showed that Nigerians rated the president 52 percent as at April-May this year, when the poll was conducted. Unsurprisingly, the highest approval rating of 75 percent was received from the President’s home base, the North-West geo-political zone; while his lowest approval of 19 percent came from the South-East geo-political zone. These regional variations arguably reflect not only the voting patterns during the 2015 presidential election, but also speak to the pattern of agitations and counter-agitations since President Buhari came to power. The poll also rated the President on specific sectors on a 4-point scale, where 1 stood for poor and 4 stood for Excellent. From the results, the highest average score of 2.3 points each was obtained for the President’s performance on Security and Agriculture; while the worst ratings of 1.8 points each were for his performance on the Economy and Poverty Alleviation & Job Creation. Similarly, 60 percent of those polled said they were Unsatisfied with the president’s handling of the economy. The poll also sought the opinion of Nigerians regarding President Buhari’s anti-corruption war. The results showed that while 91 percent of Nigerian believe corruption is still a major issue in the country; 58 percent of the population are of the opinion that the president’s anti-corruption war is working, with 42 percent responding on the contrary. In addition to the President, the job performance of State Governors was also assessed by Nigerians. From the results, as rated by citizens resident in each of the states, the top performing states are: Katsina (86 percent), Sokoto and Kano (with 83 percent each), Adamawa (82 percent), Zamfara and Jigawa (80 percent each), Kebbi (79 percent), Niger (73 percent), Yobe (71 percent) and Anambra (66 percent). On the other hand, the ten least performing states were identified as: Bayelsa (12 percent), Abia (15 percent), Delta (18 percent), Imo (19 percent), Borno (24 percent), Kaduna (28 percent), Kogi (30 percent), Benue (34 percent), Bauchi (35 percent) and Kwara (38 percent). Furthermore, in terms on institutional effectiveness, Nigerians had the opportunity to assess the performance of 17 public institutions having regular interface with the populace. The results revealed that the top 5 institutions considered effective by Nigerians are: The Military (72 percent), National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) (65 percent), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) (63 percent), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) (61 percent), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at 59 percent. On the other hand, the Nigerian Police (NP) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was considered the least effective institutions, scoring below average at 45 percent each. HEALTH AND EDUCATION On the Health Sector, the poll showed that Nigerians generally believe they are healthy, as 82 percent of Nigerians demonstrated poor health-seeking behaviours for both preventive and curative; although more respondents sought curative care rather than preventive care. The poll also reaffirmed Malaria as the most prevalent health challenge facing Nigerians by a significant proportion of 81 percent; with 63 percent accessing malaria tablets, 30 percent taking injections, and 6 percent making use of native medicine to treat the ailment. In addition to Malaria, other ailments identified include: Cough (4 percent), Cholera (3 percent) and Diarrhea (2 percent). Furthermore, the poll revealed that only 3 percent of Nigerians have some form of health or social insurance to cover the cost of accessing healthcare services. Majority of Nigerians (77 percent) say they pay for health services “Out of Pocket”, with 16 percent who say they receive “Support from family and friends” to access healthcare. These findings corroborate existing media reports on the sheer magnitude of Nigerians not covered under any form of health insurance; and highlights the huge opportunity to tap into this space to provide alternative and sustainable financing for the health sector. On Education, a considerable proportion of 15 percent of respondents reported incidence of Children Out-of-School in their communities; particularly in the North-Central (23 percent) and North East (24 percent) regions of the country. Furthermore, the poll revealed that “financial difficulties households” (73 percent) was identified as the most significant reason for children dropping out of school; and this was followed by other reasons such as: lack of personal motivation (7 percent), those who dropped-out to learn a trade (7 percent), those who dropped-out to get married (5 percent) and the absence of schools in the local community (4 percent) amongst others. The poll further highlighted a more positive perception towards Girl-Child education; as almost 9 in 10 Nigerians (88 percent) were of the opinion that girl-child education is important to their communities. Similarly, on the issue of ender disparity, 90 percent of Nigerians were also of the opinion that Boys and Girls should be given equal opportunity to access education. SECURITY On Security, the poll reported that while 65 percent of Nigerians say they feel safe in their localities, 35 percent say they do not feel secure. In line with this perception, about a third of the population (33 percent) expressed knowledge of a robbery case incident, and 13 percent expressed knowledge of a kidnap incident, within their locality in the last 12 months. Consequently, when asked to rate the government’s response to threats of violence in the country, 48 percent expressed their satisfaction with the response. On the contrary, 50 percent of Nigerians expressed dissatisfaction with government’s response to threats of insecurity; particularly amongst residents of South-East (83 percent) and South-South (79 percent) geo-political regions. In furtherance, Nigerians were asked to rate their level of trust for organisations involved in providing security. The results revealed that the Military topped the list of such organisations with 77 percent, followed by Vigilante Groups & Community Security with 64 percent. On the other hand, Nigeria Police was identified as the security institution with the least level of trust with only 35 percent. It is worth noting that Vigilante Groups & Community Security (66 percent), Private Security Contractors (52 percent), and Ethno-Regional Groups like the Odua People’s Congress (OPC) (48 percent) received higher levels of confidence from the general public compared to the Police (35 percent). ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS On the Power Sector, the poll found that 87 percent of Nigerians are connect to the National Grid, while 13 percent of Nigerians are not connected to the Grid, particularly with the rural areas. Furthermore, for the 87 percent of Nigerians connected to the Grid, 31 percent say power supply to their households was poor in the last 3 months (referencing February to April 2017 to when the poll was conducted); with 58 percent reporting that they received less than 7 hours of cumulative power supply per day, including 5 percent who said they have not received power supply to their households at all. Furthermore, on the effectiveness of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), 55 percent of Nigerians do not believe PHCN is an effective organisation; with 88 percent of the opinion that PHCN is a corrupt organisation. As a result, 45 percent of Nigerians say they use alternative sources of power to argument the poor supply of power to households; with 93 percent using petrol-powered generators and 4 percent using diesel-powered generators. On Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as Petrol, 48 percent of Nigerians say buy petrol often; with 41 percent buying from Major Marketer Filling Stations and 39 percent from Independent Marketer Filling Stations, and 11 percent buying from Black Marketers. On the Telecommunications, the poll revealed that current GSM mobile phone penetration in the country stands at 88 percent. This represents a 32 percentage points increase from 2008 when our poll reported penetration of 56 percent at the time. TAXATION AND MADE-IN-NIGERIA GOODS On Taxation, the poll reported that only 44 percent of Nigerians say they pay their taxes compared to 46 percent who say they do not pay taxes. And in line with this finding, only 36 percent believe that taxes are used to provide services and infrastructural development; while 47 percent were of the opinion that taxes are not used for the right purposes. A further 16 percent reported that they don’t know what taxes paid are being used for. On Made-In-Nigeria Goods, 89 percent of Nigerians say they are willing to buy locally-made products; as they are confident that demand for Made-in-Nigeria goods will help strengthen the Naira, as stated by 87 percent. In addition, the poll revealed that 61 percent of Nigerians consider Made-In-Nigeria products as Good and Excellent; however, they also believe that products from countries such as the United States (88 percent) and United Kingdom (86 percent) are better than locally-made products in terms of quality and durability. MEDIA, BANKING AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION On Media, the poll reported that Radio remains the most important source of information to Nigerians, with 50 percent affirmation. This was followed by television at 20 percent, the Internet & Social Media at 17 percent, and Newspapers at 8 percent. In addition, an assessment of the reputation of the Nigerian media revealed that Nigerians have a relatively positive perception of the media, as 62 percent believe the media is independent. In terms of trust, Nigerians consider radio stations as the most trustworthy with 95 percent; followed by television, magazines and the internet (86 percent each). In addition, on the issue of corruption in the Media, about a third of Nigerians (33 percent) believe corruption is high on the internet and social media; compared to Radio (13 percent), Television (17 percent) and Newspaper (19 percent). On Banking & Financial Inclusion, the poll reported that Bank Account Ownership in Nigeria currently stands at 61 percent; and this represent an improvement from 2008 when our poll reported 28 percent. Conversely, this finding highlights an unbanked adult population of 39 percent, especially in the North-West geo-political region, where 69 percent of those polled said they do not have a bank account with any formal financial institution. Furthermore, an assessment of the financial services most important to Nigerians revealed that wide ATM network (46 percent), branch network (23 percent), efficient customer service (12 percent) remain most critical to customers. Interestingly, in terms of quality of financial services provided by banks in Nigeria, the polled reported a high level of satisfaction, as indicated by 90 percent of bank customers. SPENDING AND EATING PATTERNS On Nigerians Spending & Eating Patterns, 88 percent of Nigerians reported that they experienced an increase in household expenditure over the last one year. As a result, less than half of the adult population (46 percent) say they eat three times daily. This was followed by 42 percent who say they eat twice daily and 4 percent who say they eat only once a day. Interestingly, an assessment of breakfast eating patterns revealed that 84 percent of those polled say they eat breakfast regularly, and the top three foods consumed at breakfast are: Bread (53 percent) Beans, Moi-Moi or Akara (40 percent) Pap/Ogi (39 percent). Similarly, 71 percent say they eat lunch regularly, and the top three foods mainly consumed at lunch are: Rice (50 percent), Swallow or Ball Foods (45 percent) and Yam (33 percent). Also, 93 percent say they eat dinner regularly; and the top three foods consumed at dinner are: Swallow or Ball Foods (78 percent), Rice (43 percent), and Yam (33 percent). Furthermore, the poll revealed that 64 percent of Nigerians say they eat Swallow or Ball Foods at least three times a week; and the most common Ball Foods consumed are Garri or Eba (50 percent), Tuwon Masara (35 percent), Fufu or Akpu (32 percent) and Semovita (30 percent). Other Ball Foods mentioned are Tuwon Shinkafa, Pounded Yam, Amala and Wheatmeal. BEING A NIGERIAN AND NIGERIAN INDEPENDENCE Finally, on Being a Nigerian, 88 percent of Nigerians say they were proud to be Nigerian; and 60 percent say they believe the country has fared well as one nation in its 57 years of independence.  Similarly, when asked to state the greatest achievement of the country since its amalgamation over 100 years ago, Nigeria stated that they consider Democracy & Unity (19 percent) and advancement in Telecommunication (19 percent). Other achievements include: agricultural development, peace and security, and independence. METHODOLOGY The NOIPolls 2017 National Poll was conducted through face-to-face interviews. A total of 5018 respondents were sampled for the poll, which was conducted in five major Nigerian languages: English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo. All states and senatorial districts in Nigeria were proportionately represented in the poll. In each of the 109 senatorial districts, a Local Government Area (LGA) which is the headquarter of each senatorial district was selected for interview.  This represents three (3) LGAs per State. Three (3) LGAs were also randomly selected in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. In total, 111 LGAs were surveyed in each of the yearly survey. All respondents were aged 18 years and above, older. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com you can also download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com

Abuja, Nigeria. December 12th, 2017 – Latest public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls in partnership with Child Protection Hub Nigeria (CPHub) has revealed a high prevalence (92 percent) of child abuse in Nigeria, corroborating  a report by UNICEF which also revealed a high prevalent rate of child abuse in Nigeria specifying that millions of children in Nigeria suffer some form of physical, emotional or sexual violence.[1]  NOIPolls findings further revealed that half of the respondents (50 percent) attested to have personally witnessed the incidence of child abuse within their localities. This is line with a 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children (VAC) survey by the National Population Commission, with support from UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which revealed that 6 out of 10 Nigerian children experienced at least one form of violence before they are 18.[2] It was also revealed that there are very few organizations working to support victims of child abuse and those are largely based in the cities. For example, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), World Health Organization (WHO), etc. are very popular in the Southern region of Nigeria due to the rife activities of human trafficking, including children, in the zone. In support of this, statistics from this report revealed that 78 percent of the respondents claimed that they do not know organizations that support victims of child abuse while only 22 percent indicated that they are aware of such organizations, based on events that have occurred in their localities which borders on child abuse. The report further revealed a low reporting rate of abused children as only 27 percent of the 50 percent of respondents who claimed to have personally witnessed child abuse confirmed to have reported the case mainly to the Police via word of mouth. It could be inferred that child abuse in Nigeria is stoked by an overall poor public knowledge on its dangers to the society at large as this report portrays respondents’ indifference in reporting cases of child abuse in their localities. This indifference could also be attributed to the poor and slow domestication of the 1989 United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1990 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.  In 2003, Nigeria signed into law the Child Rights Act (CRA) to domesticate these international and regional child rights treaties of which it is a party to.  So far, the Child Rights Act has been passed in only 25 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with Plateau State being the most recent to enact the law on the 24th of November, 2017.[3]  In the same vein the survey showed that 10 percent of Nigerians nationwide stated that child protection laws should be duly enforced in order to curb this threat to humanity. These are some of the key findings from the Child Abuse poll conducted in the week commencing November 13th, 2017. Brief Background Child abuse is any action by a parent, guardian, caregiver, any other persons, organization or institution that causes harm to a child whether through deliberate action or failing to act thereby; causing injury, emotional harm, and risk of serious harm or even death to a child. There are many forms of child abuse, including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation and emotional abuse. Protecting the rights of a child is vital in every society because the future of that society and the world at large is reliant on the proper development of all children. Unequivocally, the kind of upbringing or care a child gets today fashions his/her personality and determines what they contribute to nation building. Hence, children must be protected from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation. A survey report on the 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children conducted by the National Population Commission with the support of the United States Centre for Disease Control and UNICEF, revealed a high prevalence of violence against children across all states in Nigeria.  The survey also revealed that approximately 6 in 10 children experienced some form of violence and 50 percent of all children in Nigeria experienced physical violence. It further showed that about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 10 boys experienced sexual violence, while 1 in 6 girls and 1 in 5 boys experienced emotional violence by a parent, caregiver or adult relative. The extreme weakness of child protection systems in Nigeria and building a child-centered social protection system will undoubtedly be challenging, especially given the broader governance concerns in the country. However, violence against children ought to be ended by the year 2030, according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but for this to be achieved, all hands must be on deck. For instance, all the stakeholders of the Federal, State and Local government and their corresponding parastatals including International and Local agencies that are championing the course of violence against children and other stakeholders should focus on an enlightenment campaign directed towards strengthening awareness and enforcement of relevant legislative and policy frameworks in the course of protecting the Rights of the Nigerian Child. Against this backdrop, NOIPolls in partnership with Child Protection Hub Nigeria (CPHub) –   a child advocacy organization that aims to ensure the protection and safeguarding of the Nigerian child, conducted a knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) survey to gauge the prevalence, awareness, and responses of Nigerians to incidents of child abuse in the country. Survey Findings The initial question sought the prevalence of child abuse and findings revealed a high occurrence of child abuse in the country as indicated by 92 percent of respondents surveyed. It also showed that there are slightly more female respondents than male respondents who asserted that the incidence of child abuse in Nigeria is high. Further analysis by age group revealed that those aged 61 and above had the largest proportion (95 percent) of respondents who believe there is a high prevalence of child abuse in Nigeria and this could be attributed to personal experiences or reports that they may have heard from other parents. On the contrary, 8 percent of the respondents surveyed stated that the incidence of child abuse is not prevalent in Nigeria. An even split of 50 percent of respondents said they have personally witnessed cases of child abuse in their localities. More analysis by geopolitical zones revealed that the South-East zone (58 percent) had the highest percentage of respondents that have personally witnessed a case of child abuse, this was closely followed by the South-South zone (57 percent) while the North-East zone (41 percent) had the lowest percentage of respondents in this category. The other 50 percent of respondents alleged that they have not witnessed any case of child abuse within their localities. Lastly, respondents gave some suggestions as a means to reduce the incidence of child abuse in Nigeria and the top four responses mentioned includes; ‘public enlightenment on the effects of child abuse’ (31 percent), ‘strict punishment on the defaulters of child abuse law’ (12 percent), ‘free education for all children’ (10 percent) and ‘make a law on child protection’ (10 percent). It is important to note that, although, Nigeria assented to domesticate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child through the CRA in 2003 which led to the passing of the law at the Federal level, only 25 out of the country’s 36 States have passed the CRA. Therefore, intense advocacy is required for the remaining 11 States to pass it to law so that the rights of the child would be fully protected. For the states that have domesticated the CRA, a concerted effort is needed on the part of state agencies at the state and local government level to ensure effective implementation of the Act. In conclusion, survey results have confirmed that there is a high prevalence of child abuse in Nigeria, inadequate cluster of child-rights organizations capable of providing support services to abused children or those at risk of abuse which was evident from the low percentage of respondents who are aware of such organizations. Also, some of the international organizations driving the course of this matter have grown in popularity due to the peculiarity in the zones where they are present. For example, the lingering Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East region has made UN agencies and INGOs like UNICEF, Save the Children and International Red Cross etc. popular in that area. These are clear evidences of a knowledge gap between the government, citizenry and the stakeholders (national and international NGOs) that are saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of the child in Nigeria. Limited resources available to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD) and local child-rights NGOs further cripples the current child protection system in the country and children continue to be victims of child abuse. The extreme weakness of child protection systems in Nigeria and building a child-centered social protection system will undoubtedly be challenging, especially given the broader governance concerns in the country. However, violence against children ought to be ended by the year 2030, according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but for this to be achieved, all hands must be on deck. For instance, all the stakeholders of the Federal, State and Local government and their corresponding parastatals including International and Local agencies that are championing the course of violence against children and other stakeholders should focus on an enlightenment campaign directed towards strengthening awareness and enforcement of relevant legislative and policy frameworks in the course of protecting the Rights of the Nigerian Child. Additionally, the report has also established that 50 percent of Nigerians claimed to have witnessed an incidence of child abuse, however, only 27 percent went on to report the case. Furthermore, majority (60 percent) of those who reported did so to the Police mainly through word-of-mouth, as attested to by 93 percent of the respondents. In the same vein, this finding seems to be a confirmation that Nigerians seem to be unwilling to report cases of child abuse in the country as 34 percent of the respondents claimed that they do not know where to report the case to. Hence, it is pertinent for the Federal Government of Nigeria, MWASD, international and local agencies that are passionate about protecting the Rights of the Child to rise up to these challenges by educating citizens on the resultant effects of child abuse, as suggested by 31 percent of the respondents. They should also advise the public on where to report such cases and the process of reporting. Where such systems do not exist, then efforts should be made by these stakeholders to develop a referral pathway for children who are abused or at risk of abuse. There should also be an even distribution of organizations that support the victims of child abuse with a very clear direction on how to locate them. Finally, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal to end all forms of violence against children by 2030, it is important to persuade the remaining 11 States in Nigeria that are yet to pass the Child Right Act of 2003 to do so with immediate effect in order to fully criminalize the dastardly act therefore providing Nigerian children the opportunity where they are nurtured in a safe and secure environment. According to Lyndon B. Johnson, “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose”, therefore the right of every child should be protected so that we can have a secure tomorrow. Please click here to download full report Survey Methods The opinion poll was conducted in the week commencing November 14th, 2017. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geo-political zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited is the No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com you can also download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/media_11542.html [2] https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/media_11542.html [3]https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/north-central/250623-plateau-domesticates-child-rights-act-vows-full-implementation.html

Abuja, Nigeria. December 5th, 2017 – The World AIDS day was observed worldwide on December 1st  2017. The aim of this observance was to raise public awareness about preventive measures, proper treatment and management of HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus) to avoid progression to full blown AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome).People around the world took advantage of the day to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with it, and commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-associated illness.[1] The theme for the 2017 campaign was “My Health, My Right”; it focused on the right to health and it also explored the challenges people around the world face in exercising these rights. According to the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, during UNAIDS launch for the 2017 World AIDS Day campaign, all people regardless of their age, gender, where they live or who they love, have the right to health. He further added thatno matter what their health needs are, everyone requires health solutions that are available and accessible, free from discrimination and of good quality.[2] World AIDS Day reminds the public and government that HIV has not gone away as millions around the world are still living with HIV. A recent 2017 data report released by UNAIDS, disclosed that an estimated one million people worldwide died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2016 and as at the end of 2015, an estimated 36.7 million people around the world were living with HIV.[3] In Nigeria, the official HIV prevalence as reported by UNAIDS is 3.2 percent among the adult population, giving a total estimate of 3.4 million Nigerians living with HIV. This makes Nigeria the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and has one of the highest new infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa.[4] In the light of the 2017 World AIDS Day, NOIPolls reflects on some findings from its past poll on combating HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, highlighting its challenges, awareness on transmission and suggestions on reducing the epidemic. The poll which was conducted in 2013 revealed that the overwhelming majority (90 percent) of the respondents agreed that HIV/AIDS is a critical health challenge in Nigeria. Indeed, the HIV epidemic in Nigeria is an issue and differs extensively by region. In some regions, the epidemic is more concentrated and steered by high-risk behaviours, whereas some regions have more indiscriminate epidemics that are sustained primarily by multiple sexual partners in the general population.[5] According to the Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA), Sani Aliyu, during an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on HIV/AIDs in December 2016, he stated that at least 500 Nigerians die of HIV/AIDs daily, with an average new infection of 600 people every day.[6] Also, the UNAIDS 2017 data book reported that approximately 160,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in Nigeria in 2016 and since 2005, the reduction in the number of annual AIDS-related deaths has been minimal, signifying that not all those living with HIV in Nigeria are accessing Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART).[7] Furthermore, the poll revealed that most Nigerians are aware of the common mode of contracting HIV/AIDS as 86 percent mentioned sexual intercourse and residents from the North-East zone represent the larger share of Nigerians who are aware of this.In spite of this high awareness, the coordinator for HIV/AIDs in Borno state, during last year’s World AIDS day stated that about 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in 27 different camps in the state are currently living with the virus.[8] It therefore becomes pertinent that the government and other relevant stakeholders ensure that as many people as possible get tested, and that treatment is made available for those who have tested positive to the virus. In a bid to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, majority (51 percent) of the respondents believed that deploying more far reaching sensitization and media programs to create awareness about HIV/AIDS, its prevention and treatment plan would go a long way in combating the epidemic. It is worthy to note that 24 percent of respondents suggested that there should be more HIV testing centres in the country, and this has been identified as a critical tool in fighting the epidemic; it follows that if there were more test centres, more people would be aware of their status which would then inform preventive and management measures depending on the outcome of their results. Currently, a large number of people living with HIV in Nigeria are unaware of their status due limited number of HIV testing and counselling sites.[9] In conclusion, the poll revealed that Nigerians are aware that HIV/AIDS is a critical health issue in the country which affects all population groups and geographical areas. Although Nigeria’s response to HIV/AIDS is guided by the National Strategic Framework 2017–2021, government and other stakeholders should mainly focus at ending AIDS by achieving zero new infections rate, zero AIDS related deaths, zero discrimination and elimination of mother-to-child transmission. Providing anti-retroviral treatment for Nigerians living with HIV doesn’t only benefit those already living with HIV, it also naturally reduces the chance of onward transmission to others. When people are not on treatment, it is hard to tackle the HIV epidemic therefore; considerable commitment, funding and resources need to be organized to expand access to treatment as a preventive method. Also, the engagement of all members of the society, especially those who are most vulnerable to HIV, is key to a unified HIV response. Finally, HIV testing should be intensely encouraged among the Nigerian population to ensure everyone knows their HIV status because without knowing how many people are living with the virus, it is hard to reduce new infections and provide HIV treatment to all. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://www.catie.ca/en/world-aids-day [2] http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2017/november/20171106_myhealth-myright [3] http://www.catie.ca/en/world-aids-day [4] http://nigeriahealthwatch.com/how-many-nigerians-are-living-with-hiv/ [5] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X16300110 [6] https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/217040-500-nigerians-die-hivaids-daily-naca.html [7] http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/20170720_Data_book_2017_en.pdf [8] https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/217040-500-nigerians-die-hivaids-daily-naca.html [9] https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria

Abuja, Nigeria. November 7th, 2017 – The Independent National Electoral Commission has started the countdown to the 2019 general elections. The INEC chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, made this announcement, while meeting with members of the Commission and all Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC), at the INEC Headquarters’ Conference Hall, Abuja. According to him, the Presidential and National Assembly elections have been fixed for Saturday, 16th February, 2019. Although democracy in Nigeria is perceived to be maturing, there is need for citizens to be certain about the timetables for elections as it is in other countries such as in the United States (where general elections always hold on the second Tuesday of November in the election year) and in Ghana (7th of December of the election year).[1] In Nigeria, the constitution stipulates that elections should be held not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to the end of the incumbent’s tenure. Thus, in order to ensure certainty in election dates and to aid proper planning for political parties, security agencies, candidates and all other stakeholders, INEC led by Professor Yakubu Mahmood, decided to fix the date for National Elections every third Saturday in February of an election year and State elections two weeks afterwards. As a result, the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, 16th February 2019, while the Governorship/State Assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections will hold on Saturday 2nd March 2019. In view of the timetables and countdown to the 2019 elections, the impact of election preparedness on the success of the elections cannot be overemphasised. The preceding months before the set dates should be maximised by all stakeholders including citizens to ensure timely and efficient voters registration considering that it is one of the most costly, time-consuming and complex aspects of the electoral process. The continuous voter’s registration (CVR) is still on-going and so far INEC has been able to register about 2,786,405 Nigerians, nevertheless, there is need for continuous sensitisation to enhance overall voters participation; such that willingness would translate into actual participation especially in the 2019 elections. For instance, a past NOI’s election poll revealed a high level of participation willingness prior to the 2015 elections (as shown in the chart below), however, figures from INEC on the actual participation revealed a gap in the number of registered (67,422,005) and accredited voters (31,746,490) as well as the number of votes cast (29,432,083) during the 2015 presidential elections[2]. Furthermore, inclusion in the electoral process needs to be given priority ahead of the 2019 elections to ensure the active engagement of all eligible citizens. In view of this, strategic steps need to be taken to remove barriers and ensure equal access for the disadvantaged, vulnerable and minority groups in the society; such as people living with disabilities, internally displaced persons and aged persons etc, in order to increase participation of these groups. Similarly, the activities of insurgency in the North-East may pose a challenge in the participation of its residents in electoral processes; this is evidenced in the chart above which revealed that the zone recorded the lowest proportion of respondents who claimed to have registered ahead of the 2015 elections. Thus, INEC needs to ensure that proper voters education and all other election sensitizations are carried out in the region and other vital areas to ensure an all-inclusive 2019 elections. Finally, as the countdown to the 2019 general election has begun, it is advised that Nigerians who do not have voter’s card and those who just turned 18 years make good use of the on-going registration to get their permanent voter’s card to avoid the 11th hour rush. In terms of technology, INEC should consolidate on the successes recorded in the 2015 general elections with the introduction of new innovations such as the Electronic Voter Register (EVR), Electronic Voter Authentication (EVA) and Electronic Transmission of Results (ETR). The 2019 general elections will be the sixth since 1999, when Nigeria returned to civilian rule. If well administered in terms of fulfilling the most basic democratic requirements of elections, the election will strengthen Nigeria’s prospects for democratic rule and national development. The Independent National Electoral Commission can also encourage increased political participation by improving on its use of the election technology of Smart Card Readers to minimize the delays that were witnessed during the 2015 general elections due to technical hitches. Finally, INEC should in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Media, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Associations improve on voter education with particular focus on vote casting to reduce the number of rejected ballots that may occur.he subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/225704-breaking-inec-announces-dates-2019-general-elections.html [2] http://www.inecnigeria.org/?page_id=31

Abuja, Nigeria. October 31st, 2017 – The “Ember Months” which start from September to December are regarded as festive period. This period is usually filled with various social activities such as, weddings, birthday parties, freedom parties, even burials, remembrances, Eid and Christmas celebrations as well as general merry making causing a high market rush for traders and business men and women.However, this period has also been ascribed with all manner of evil occurrences and characterized with different social vices like armed robbery, kidnap, carjacking, ritual killings, molestations, oppression and suppression, drunkenness, allegations, accidents (home, road, water, air, and fire), reckless driving, etc.[1] For instance, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in a report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, revealed that 550 persons died and 3,184 others were injured in 903 road traffic accidents across the country in December 2016. The report revealed a 16 percent increase in the number of road traffic crashes and 45 percent and 36 percent increases in the number of people killed and persons injured respectively when compared to November 2016.[2] In terms of crime, a study by Bulwark Intelligence covering August 2016 to March 2017 revealed an increase in crime such as armed robbery, kidnapping, armed attacks and bank robberies in Nigeria. The data showed a correlation between crime and festive seasons in which crime increases a month prior to holidays, hence a spike in August prior to the Eid holiday in September 2016 and a spike in November prior to the Christmas holiday in December 2016.[3] Although the police and other security agencies continue to deploy measures to combat crime and protect the lives and properties of Nigerians, tackling security challenges within this period requires deliberate efforts from all stakeholders. An “all hands on deck” approach is necessary in fighting crime which means citizens in all communities must be careful and report any suspicious or unusual activities, as everyone is primarily responsible for their personal security. The security of a country to some extent is determined by precautionary steps taken by citizens. For instance, in a past security poll conducted by NOIPolls, respondents confirmed the need for citizens to be security conscious in order to tackle security challenges in Nigeria (shown in the chart below). Some simple security tips may include reporting suspicious persons, keeping valuables out of sight, avoiding the use of ATM in isolated locations, limiting the offering  or acceptance of rides from strangers, ensuring all doors and windows are locked, and illuminating the environment at night etc. Religious leaders are also advised to preach good morals to their faithful as well as spread security tips to citizens. Nonetheless, the role of the security agencies and personnel in maintaining security within this period cannot be over emphasised. Nigerians have shown a high level of confidence in the security agencies to tackle security matters within this period as evidenced from a past security poll shown in the chart below. However, the question is; are citizens aware of the necessary security steps to adopt towards securing themselves, as well as the procedures involved in reporting security issues to ensure a collaborative effort between security agencies and citizens? In conclusion, as the end of year festivities draw near, it is pertinent that security matters are considered top priority by all stakeholders in order to minimize crimes as well as road accidents across the country to the barest minimum. It is important for the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to develop operational strategies that will enhance security provision during this period and beyond. Particularly, these agencies should increase security awareness and provide toll free numbers for citizens to call in case of any emergency. It is also advised that all security agencies synergise their efforts and put in place extended security patrols taking into consideration some already known security hot spots (especially highways) in order to protect citizens. Finally, NOIPolls urges all Nigerians to be security conscious at all times as security is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders. Citizens can take part in the security watch by volunteering useful information that would aid the operations of security agencies and more importantly, citizens should strive to be law abiding throughout this season and beyond. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://www.authorityngr.com/2015/12/Fears-myths-and-realities-of–ember-months/ [2] http://independent.ng/550-die-in-road-accidents-in-december-2016-frsc/ [3] http://bulwarkintelligence.com/reports/crime/armed-robbery-nigeria-trend-analysis/

The goal of this day is to “improve the dissemination of information and the mobilization of public opinion, particularly among young people”, by highlighting the issues of development and strongly emphasizing that a permanent global security is achievable once the economic and social well-being of every citizen across the globe is guaranteed[1]. In recent times, the world has been faced with challenges in all three dimensions of sustainable development—economic, social and environmental, and for these issues to be tackled head-on, data is very important. Many developing countries do not have the sound and credible statistical data required to underpin development processes. Data availability makes enormous differences as it presents reliable information which cuts a clear picture of all issues, enabling decision makers prioritize and effect positive change. Through scientific research, NOIPolls has been presenting reliable data from the diverse public opinion polls it has consistently conducted over the years. These data if properly utilized, are capable of influencing the formulation and implementation of great policies with high positive impact. One of the specific aims of World Development Information Day is to inform and motivate young people worldwide to development problems. Identifying these problems of development through dependable data is as important as the various channels used in disseminating such information. Hence NOIPolls presents a previous poll conducted on the most common sources of information available to the Nigerian populace. In the poll, Radio and Television were identified as the major avenues where the citizens get their information from, among other sources. It also revealed that social media platforms had experienced an incredible leap in usage over the two years in view which is an added bonus given the role that modern information technologies, such as Internet and mobile phones can play in information gathering, countering false and inciting messages, alerting the people on security issues and inspiring them to act towards finding solutions to problems of development facing their societies. These cannot be overemphasized. In the previous poll conducted by NOIPolls on sources of information, results revealed that a majority of Nigerians get their daily news and information from radio stations (62 percent), a smaller but still sizable proportion (49 percent) mentioned television, (37 percent) mentioned social media and (30 percent) mentioned newspapers. Despite the country’s attraction to technology, its devices, and myriad social media platforms, by ranking, majority of Nigerians (34 percent) picked ‘radio’ as the main source of their daily information. Television was ranked second with (27 percent), while social media ranked third with 20 percent. Furthermore, trend analysis from previous polls conducted in past years revealed a dramatic increase in the use of social media. The upswing of new technology has introduced several options for getting information which have continued to compete with traditional media. The year on year assessment revealed that social media as a source of daily information in Nigeria had a total increase of 18-points and 14-points in 2015 from 2007 and 2013 respectively, indicating a huge growth in its usage in Nigeria as a source of information, thus increasing the competition among all sources of information. In 2015, although radio declined by a significant 24-point when compared to 2013, it still remained the most common source of information as reported by 34 percent of Nigerians interviewed. Also, findings revealed that more Nigerians get access to their daily news from social media than newspapers. In conclusion, information is an essential tool for development, decision-making, and control because, without information, communication is compromised. The crux of the matter is that information dissemination is as important as the content of the information itself, especially when it concerns the issues of development. Lately, modern decision making, whether done by a nation’s government or an international agency, is increasingly impacted using quality and reliable information or data gathered using statistical methods. Therefore, the problems of inadequate statistics which has always been a major limitation to studies done about issues bedeviling the development of Nigeria can be surmounted by making use of reliable data presented by NOIPolls. Finally, in honour of the World Development Information Day whose aim is to present developmental challenges to the world and provoke international attention to help surmount those challenges, it is important for organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to know that it is not enough to have information, but disseminating said information through diverse and relevant sources is equally important. Because for a society to fully function, there must be a steady stream of information passing through numerous channels ranging from entertainment, inspirational, educative or informative for various people. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. For more information, kindly visit our website www.noi-polls.com you can also download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for and at the time this poll was conducted, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://www.un.org/en/events/devinfoday/

Abuja, Nigeria. October 3rd, 2017 – A new poll released by NOIPolls has revealed that Nigerians take pride in the nation’s abundant human and natural resources (25 percent), cultural diversity (17 percent) and peaceful co-existence (13 percent), amidst other factors. In addition, Nigerians rated their social interaction amongst the various ethnic groups in the country at 7.5 points on a scale of 0 – 10, where 0 represents “no interaction”, while 10 represents a “high level of interaction”. This rating implies a very positive social interaction among the different ethnic groups in Nigeria and further corroborates findings from NOIPolls Personal well-being index which portrays a high level of satisfaction of Nigerians regarding their social interaction. While Nigerians take pride in the nation’s abundant supply of human and Natural resources, most of these resources are yet to be exploited and fully maximised. For instance renewable and agricultural resources have the potential to create jobs and opportunities for alleviating poverty. Therefore, the onus is on the government to harness these potentials through sustainable development strategy and implementation. This should involve diverse stakeholders, especially private sector entrepreneurs, to convert opportunities in to economic activities to achieve significant job creation, income generation, poverty alleviation and inclusive economic growth and development; to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians. These are some of the key findings from the Patriotism Poll conducted by NOIPolls in the week commencing September 18th 2017. Brief Background Diversity which is a key element that clearly defines the true soul and strength of Nigeria has been regrettably overlooked in recent times. Nigeria’s development and drawback hinges is her unity in diversity as she is the only nation of the world with the highest population of Black race.[1] The only nation with more than 250 languages and diverse ethnic groups, yet have remained one and indivisible nation[2]. In line with this and in view of the 57th Nigeria Independence Day celebration, NOIPolls conducted a survey to understand the current stance of social interactions and patriotism among citizens. Survey Findings From the poll, respondents were asked what makes them proud and happy to be Nigerians and findings revealed that a fourth of the country’s population consider the abundant human and natural resources (25 percent) as a major factor that makes them proud of the country. This is not surprising considering that Nigeria is the most populous African country, commonly known as the giant of Africa. Also it has been reported that apart from petroleum, Nigeria is also rich in other natural resources such as natural gas, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc and arable land etc. This is followed by respondents who mentioned ‘cultural diversity’ (17 percent) and ‘peaceful co-existence’ (13 percent) among others. In a Nation like Nigeria with huge cultural, religious and ethnic diversity, positive social interaction between various ethnic groups is key to maintaining a harmonious society. With this in mind, the level of social interactions among the Nigerian populace was polled and findings revealed that the nationwide average rating on social interaction in Nigeria on a scale of 0 to 10 (where 0 represents no interaction and 10 represents a high level of interaction), stood at 7.5, which reflects a very healthy and productive social interaction among Nigerians. Additionally, analysis of results across gender revealed that the average ratings on social interactions between males and females from different ethnic background stood at 7.8 and 7.2 respectively. Consequently, analysis of social interaction ratings across geopolitical zones showed that the North-Central zone (8.0) had the highest social interaction rating in Nigeria and this was closely followed by the South-East zone with a rating of 7.9. Also, a closer look at the age-group category reveals a sequence of increasing social interaction as the age increases. Survey Methods The opinion poll was conducted in the week of September 18th, 2017. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited is the No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://www.africaranking.com/most-populous-countries-in-africa/ [2] http://www.nan.ng/news/biafra-osinbajo-preaches-unity-in-diversity/

The Personal Well-Being Index report released by NOIPolls for Q3, 2017 has revealed a 1.3-points contraction to stand at 64.1-points from 65.4-points obtained in Q2, 2017. This supposes that the level of satisfaction that Nigerians have with their well-being has dropped. Also, it is interesting to note that a comprehensive analysis of the seven components that made up the PWBI experienced a decrease except the Economic Index that experienced a negligible increase of 0.3-point when compared to Q2, 2017. These are the key highlights from the Q3, 2017 Personal Well-Being Index Press Release. In February 2014, NOIPolls Limited introduced its portfolio of indices; the NOIPolls Personal Well-Being Index (PWBI), the NOIPolls Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) and the NOIPolls Eagle 30 Business Confidence Index (EBCI). The NOIPolls Personal Well-Being Index measures factors impacting on the lives of everyday Nigerians; thereby producing a complete view of the individual’s personal well-being. The NOIPolls Consumer Confidence Index provides consumer assessments of the economic situation and their intentions and expectations for the future. The NOIPolls Eagle 30 Business Confidence Index measures business leaders’ perceptions and expectations about the Nigerian business environment using the top 30 companies in the country. Nigerian businesses, financial and government agencies largely depend on the perceptions and micro assessment of consumers’ expectation in making decisions. At best, they draw conclusions on the business environment based on information from their immediate surroundings while the minorities conduct surveys that are time and money consuming. However, the introduction of these indices provides indicators that will ensure stakeholders can detect and respond to changes in consumer behaviour, the economy, and the business environment in Nigeria. This report presents the Q3, 2017 results for the NOIPolls Personal Well Being Index (PWBI). THE NOIPOLLS PERSONAL WELL-BEING INDEX (PWBI) The NOIPolls Personal Well-Being Index (PWBI) consists of seven items of satisfaction which are indicative of the perceptions of Nigerians regarding the value of their standard of living. In Q3 2017, PWBI reclined by 1.3-points to stand at 64.1-points; signifying a slight decline in the satisfaction of Nigerians with their Personal Well-Being when compared with the results witnessed in Q2, 2017. In addition, the sub-components of the indices that make up the PWBI revealed that Nigerians were satisfied in terms of Physical Health (75.2-points), Social Interaction (77.5-points), and Religion (88.4-points) indices. Sequentially, the results from Achievement in Life (52.4-points), Standard of Living (50.1-points) and Personal Security (65.7-points) indices revealed that Nigerians were somewhat neutral in terms of these indices, whereas some Nigerians were not satisfied with their Personal Economic Situation (40.8-points) index. Though, the Economic Index experienced a marginal increase of 0.3-point in Q3, 2017, it has consistently remained the lowest ranked indicator which suggests that Nigerians are yet to be satisfied with their personal economic situation. There are 7 variables that comprise of the PWBI and these indicators are highlighted below; Personal Standard of Living Index – 50.1 The Personal Standard of Living Index revealed a decrease of 1.2-points in Q3, 2017 from 51.3-points in Q2, 2017 to stand at 50.1-points. This indicates a drop in the satisfaction of Nigerians with their current standard of living. Personal Health index – 75.2 Although this index experienced a 2.3-points decrease, it still stands 75.2-points signifying that Nigerians perceive their personal health to be satisfactory. Personal Achievement Index – 52.4 This index also declined from 52.8-points in Q2, 2017 to 52.4-points in Q3, 2017 representing a 0.4-point difference. Personal Security Index – 65.7 There was a decline of 3.4-points (representing the highest decline in Q3, 2017) in the Personal Security Index for Q3, 2017 and this decrease implies that there was a drop, to some extent, in the level of confidence that Nigerians have in their personal security. Personal Social Interaction Index – 77.5 This index experienced a decrease of 1-point from the Q2, 2017 (78.5-points) to stand at 77.5-points in Q3, 2017. Although, there was a decline, the 77.5-points it attained signifies that Nigerians are still much satisfied with their social interactions regardless of the various challenges facing the country. Personal Religion Index – 88.4 The Personal Religion Index has consistently been the highest ranked index on the PWBI. Despite the 2.1-points decrease it experienced in Q3, 2017, it is currently the highest ranked index at 88.4-points from the 90.4-points it reached in Q2, 2017. This has revealed that Nigerians are very satisfied with their religious beliefs. Economic Index – 40.8 The Economic Index has been the lowest ranked index however, it was the only indicator that experienced an increase in Q3, 2017 PWBI. It increased marginally by 0.3-point to stand at 40.8-points from 40.5-points in Q2, 2017. Despite this slight increase, this figure illustrates a decline in the economic situation when compared to other indicators. TREND ANALYSIS Trend analysis revealed that only the Economic Index, among the indicators that constitute the PWBI, experienced an increase in Q3, 2017 while the remaining six experienced a decline. Furthermore, a comparison of the quarter-on-quarter analysis showed that the NOIPolls PWBI experienced a decrease of 1.3-points to stand at 64.1-points in Q3, 2017 from 65.4-points obtained in Q2, 2017. In conclusion, the PWBI provide a true reflection on the current state of mind of Nigerians on their personal issues and the recent findings have shown that the NOIPolls PWBI decreased by 1.3-points to stand at 64.1-points in Q3, 2017 meaning that the level of satisfaction of Nigerians on their wellbeing had decreased. Also, the individual indicators that make-up the PWBI revealed an increase in only one of the indicators (Economic index) while the remaining six indices experienced a decline. Since the country has emerged out of recession after five consecutive quarters[1], it is imperative for the government to sustain the tempo of its economic management policies so that such growth rates should translate to food on the table and more jobs, with steadily improving social welfare, for more Nigerians in the grassroots, which would in turn transform to an increase in individual personal well-being. Survey Methods The Personal Well Being Index Poll was conducted in Quarter 3, 2017. The PWBI involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 3,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited, No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com and you can download our mobile appm NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/09/05/finally-nigeria-exits-recession-reports-0-55-gdp-growth-in-q2/

Abuja, Nigeria. August 15th, 2017 – New public opinion poll released by NOIPolls has revealed that gambling and betting are becoming very popular in Nigeria, particularly amongst the country’s bulging youth population and sports fans. Interestingly, a significant proportion of Nigerians polled (77 percent) attested to the high prevalence of betting and gambling in their locality; particularly amongst respondents in the South-West (92 percent) and South-South (91 percent) geo-political zones which recorded the highest prevalence. Also, the top four betting platforms identified by Nigerians are: Bet9ja (64 percent), Nairabet (34 percent), Pool (22 percent) and Lotto (20 percent). Similarly, betting has become a growing trend amongst young Nigerians aged between 18 – 35 years, who accounted for the highest proportion of Nigerians who engage in the practice. According to a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), about 60 million Nigerians between the ages 18 and 40 years spend up to N1.8 billion Naira on sports betting daily with an average investment of N3,000 Naira per day. Furthermore, in terms of active participation, 36 percent of those polled admitted that they personally engage or have family members who engage in betting; with more than half of this group of respondents (53 percent) engaged in daily betting. On the other hand, 60 percent of this same group reported that they win a bet ‘few times a month’, while 8 percent revealed that they have ‘never won a bet’. In addition, the poll highlighted that people prefer betting platforms that: offer timely redemption of winnings, favourable odds on games, reputation for prompt payment, and are easy to use. Finally, respondents identified reasons why Nigerians engage in betting and gambling to include: ‘quest for quick money’ (30 percent), ‘high rate of unemployment’ (21 percent) and ‘greed’ (15 percent) amongst other reasons. In reality, betting has its positive and negative sides however, given Nigeria’s recession and high unemployment figures, the impact of the betting industry in the nation’s economy has been positive as it has created thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. Big betting companies have staff strength running into hundreds; and through their associate and affiliate networks, they offer agents a source of livelihood from commissions earned as people engage in betting[1]. These are the key findings from the Betting Poll conducted by NOIPolls in the week of July 17th 2017. Brief Background Betting is an activity of predicting an event result and placing a wager on its outcome with the hope of winning a set prize[2] and it is regulated by National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) which is empowered by the National Lottery Act, 2005 to regulate betting lottery in Nigeria. Companies that provide sports betting services are usually referred to as bookmaker, bookie, sports book or betting agency. There are numerous betting companies that provide such services all licenced and heavily regulated by the Nigerian lottery commission. These companies have customized high -tech online betting apps or platforms to cater for their online customers and retail-outlets for non-online customers. These retail outlets are dotted across the Nigerian landscape even in remote communities one could still find betting shops or outlets with help of affiliate agents. In recent years, betting has enjoyed high patronage in Nigeria likely triggered by the high rate of unemployment in the country[3] thereby, creating a viable environment for betting companies. Betting has its positives and negatives; as sometimes people win and lose their bets and typically either of these outcomes can lead to depression, debts or serious gambling habits. Against this backdrop, NOIPolls conducted a poll on betting in order to the gauge the perception of Nigerians on betting. Survey Findings In a bid to ascertain the prevalence of betting in Nigeria, respondents were asked to express their opinions on its prevalence and analysis of results revealed that a large majority (77 percent) stated that betting is prevalent in Nigeria. Residents from the South-West zone (92 percent) had the highest prevalence, while the North-west zone (57 percent) recorded the lowest prevalence. Interestingly, analysis by age-groups shows that those aged between 18 – 35 years recorded the highest percentage (79 percent) of respondents who stated that betting in Nigeria is prevalent. Following the high prevalence of betting, respondents were asked about betting platforms known to them and results revealed Bet9ja (64 percent) as the highest known, this finding is validated by a publication on Wings newspaper which reported that Bet9ja is the most popular betting platform in Nigeria[4]. Other betting platforms mentioned are Nairabet (34 percent), Pool companies (22 percent) and Lotto (20 percent). The poll also sought to measure the proportion of Nigerians who are involved in betting and analysis revealed that nearly 4 in 10 Nigerians (36 Percent) actually engage in some form of betting and those aged between 18 – 35 years accounted for the largest proportion (41 percent) of Nigerians in this category. This finding is in line with the report from News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) which stated that Nigerians aged (18-40) years are most likely involved in betting[5]. On the contrary, a larger proportion of the respondents disclosed that they do not engage in or have a family member who engages in betting. It is worthy to note that some of these respondents may out rightly refuse to disclose their participation due to societal stigmatization. The survey sought to determine the frequency of Nigerians who actually engage in betting and analysis revealed that more than half of the respondents (53 Percent) disclosed that they bet or stake games on ‘daily’ basis.  While 39 percent engage in it ‘a few times a month’, a meagre one percent say they rarely engage in it. In the same vein, a further probe established that majority (60 percent) of the respondents disclosed that they only win ‘a few times a month’, this is followed by 29 percent who win ‘a few times in a week’. While 8 percent claimed that they have ‘never’ won any bet, 3 percent indicated that they win ‘on a daily basis’. In order to ascertain the factors that influence the choice of betting platforms adopted by the betting population, findings reveal that 26 percent mentioned ‘timely payment’ as the main factor that influences their choice. This was closely followed by respondents who believe it is the ‘odds/stake placed on a game’ (24 percent). Other determinants mentioned include ‘reputation for payment’ (21 percent), ‘ease of use’ (15 percent) among others. Finally, analysis of results revealed ‘quest for quick money’ (30 percent), ‘Unemployment’ (21 percent) and ‘greed’ (15 percent) topped the list of reasons why Nigerians engage in betting. Other reasons include; ‘to cushion the effect of economic hardship’ (12 percent), ‘poverty’ (10 percent), ‘just for fun’ (5 percent), ‘passion for sports’ (5 percent) and ‘peer group influence’ (2 Percent). In conclusion, this latest poll by NOIPolls has revealed the rising trend of betting and gambling in Nigeria, especially among the country’s bulging youth population. Sadly, this trend is driven by the quest for quick money, unemployment, greed and economic hardship amongst others. However, our concern is that while betting and gambling may serve as an avenue to pull surplus funds from the economy for savings and investment puposes; the side effects of this practice on the population, especially youths may have a negative multiplier on the country. Betting and gambling have been found to be quite addictive and can stimulate further social vices if not properly managed. Gambling has ruined homes and marriages, and rendered people brankrupt and there’s need for proper sensitisation on the negative effects of gambling and betting. Finally, it is important for regulatory bodies such as the National Lottery Commission to step up its regulatory efforts to ensure that the practice isn’t abused and exposed to young people, especially teenagers. Survey Methods The opinion poll was conducted in the week of July 17th 2017. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited is the No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com or download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://venturesafrica.com/sport-betting-in-nigeria-an-unlikely-source-of-revenue-and-jobs/ [2] http://www.natlotregcom.gov.ng/index/pages/page/sports_lottery/ [3] http://venturesafrica.com/sport-betting-in-nigeria-an-unlikely-source-of-revenue-and-jobs/ [4] http://www.wingsnewspaper.com/bet9ja-popular-betting-company-nigeria [5] http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/nigerians-spend-n1-8bn-sports-betting-daily-investigation/

Abuja, Nigeria. July 11th 2017 – New aggregated power poll results released by NOIPolls for the 1st half of 2017 (January to June 2017), covering Q1 and Q2 which has an average of 30.5 percent, has revealed a decline in power supply to Nigerian households when compared to the 2nd half of 2016 (July to December 2016) which stood at an average of 41.5 percent. The drop could be attributed to the reported shortage of gas supply experienced by the sector several months back and also, grid instability caused by weak transmission infrastructure.[1] Quarterly evaluation revealed that 31 percent of adult Nigerians reported that they experienced a minimal increase in power supply to their households in Q2, 2017 and this represents a 1-point increase when compared to Q1, 2017 which stood at 30 percent. Also, monthly analysis has shown that the highest improvement in power supply was in the month of March 2017 with 35 percent representation while the month of January accounted for the lowest (21 percent) improvement in power supply in the first half of 2017. In the same manner, an evaluation of the monthly average cumulative hours of power supply to Nigerian households for the month of February 2017 stood at 9.8 hours daily, representing the highest daily cumulative hours of power supply within the six month period. Quarterly, nationwide average daily cumulative power supply to Nigerian households in Q2, 2017 stood at 9.3 hours, these results further stress the drop in power supply when compared to Q4, 2016 which had 10.6 hours as the monthly average. This infers that the stakeholders in the power sector need to keep up the pace of working towards providing more quality electricity supply to the people. These are some of the key findings from the aggregated power sector poll conducted by NOIPolls over a period of six months (January to June 2017). Background Viable electricity generation and supply in Nigeria seem indefinable over the years. Although there are times when peak increases are recorded, the amount of energy generated and distributed for consumption still does not measure up to what is actually needed. In the past years, the mounting problem in the power sector has continued to defy all solutions designed to remedy it making issues with power in Nigeria become a very peculiar situation when compared to other neighboring African States. The conundrum in the power sector has resulted in a situation that has been damaging to the economy and infrastructural development in Nigeria for decades. Few among these challenges are unconducive environment for investors, underfunding of the power sector and lack of good regulations. Also, there is a challenge with the funding of the sector; this funding issue has even resulted in a face-off, recently, between the National Assembly and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.[2] However, the non-cooperation of electricity consumers to pay for energy consumed has also posed a level of difficulty in the sector, especially in these times that the generation and distribution components are being handled by private investors. As at the time of filing this report, the National Electric System Operation (SO), an arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), puts the general National Peak Demand Forecast at about 19,100.00MW, while recent peak energy generated hovers between just 4, 000MW and 4, 300MW[3] and this could safely translate to unavailable or unstable power supply when compared with the energy demand. With the aim of monitoring the progress made so far since the power sector reforms in Nigeria, NOIPolls introduced the Power Polls in 2013 to explore the perception of Nigerians towards the power sector reforms. The polls were conducted monthly to explore the amount of power supply received daily, as well as the state of power supply to households. The result presented is a 6-Months (January – June) tracking of power supply to households from the consumers’ end in 2017. Survey Findings Quarterly Trend on Power Supply Analysis of results, from polls conducted over a six month period on NOIPolls monthly power tracking survey series revealed that only about 3 in 10 Nigerians nationwide experienced an improvement in power supply for both quarter one (Q1) and quarter two (Q2). Further analysis revealed that power supply improvement for Q1 was 30 percent while, that of Q2 was 31 percent indicating a marginal 1 percent improvement nationwide. Quarterly Average Daily Cumulative Power Supply to Nigerian Households Analysis of survey findings over the period in view revealed that the average cumulative power supply to Nigerian households nationwide for Q1 2017 was 8.9 hours while Q2 2017 had 9.3 hours, once again reflecting a fractional improvement in cumulative hours of power supply. Average Monthly Improvement in Power Supply Further analysis of the survey results over the period in view revealed that the highest improvement (35 percent) in power supply nationwide was recorded in March 2017 representing a 1 percent improvement from the previous month. The lowest improvement ( 21 percent) in power supply  nationwide was recorded in January 2017, this low ebb recorded in January  is likely connected to the decline in generation during quarter four (Q4) of 2016 as  Nigeria’s generation statistics showed that a total average of 2,159 MW of energy was generated by power stations during the fourth quarter of 2016.[4] Further giving credence to this lowest improvement recorded in January of 2017 is the fact that power generation had worsened during this period as attested to by the power ministry[5]. Despite a 14 percent surge from January’s 21 percent to 35 percent in April, a frequent fluctuation in power supply is noticed in the subsequent months. Average Monthly Daily Cumulative Power Supply to Nigerian Households Additionally, analysis of survey results revealed that the month of February recorded the highest average daily cumulative power supply to Nigerian households which stood at an average of 10 hours daily. More, analysis of results shows that the month of January recorded the lowest average daily cumulative hours of power supply to Nigerian households which stood at approximately 8 hours daily. In conclusion, the findings have revealed that for the six month period (January to June) evaluated, the month of February 2017 accounted for the highest daily cumulative hours of power supply in Nigeria with 9.8 hours. Although it declined in the month of April, it gradually picked up again in June 2017 to stand at 9.7 hours. Similarly, quarterly analysis of results showed that Q2, 2017 recorded the highest average improvement in power supply nationwide with 31 percent. Furthermore, the statistics obtained from this report revealed that despite the recent collaborations of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Generating Companies (GENCOS) to improve electricity and grid stability[6], power supply to Nigerian households is still inadequate and unstable. Therefore, it is compulsory to create a synergy among the industry players to get a lasting solution to the problems that have been persistently bedeviled the power sector. Argumentatively, there are suggestions that the funding challenge prevalent in the sector is a subset of the refusal of some electricity consumers to pay for energy consumed. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), through its methodology of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) has pointed out that the current tariff reflects market reality, and that energy is supplied to consumers at a price that reflects the cost of production[7]. So, Nigerians should put an end to the erroneous assumption that electricity is a social service by the government and should be sold at a cheap price or given freely; they should cultivate the habit of paying for what they consume to enable energy providers run the sector efficiently which would in turn bring about an adequate and constant power supply. Survey Methods The opinion poll was conducted over a period of six months (January to June 2017). It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 6,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited is the No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com you can also download our mobile app NOIPolls on your smartphone. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/04/03/electricity-supply-drops-to-3800mw/ [2] http://leadership.ng/2017/07/03/fashola-national-assembly-national-interest/ [3] file:///C:/Users/s.aribisala/Downloads/DailyOperationalRpt%2007-07-2017.pdf [4] http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/power-generation-increases-q1-2017-nbs/ [5] https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/04/25/tackling-the-cyclical-electricity-conondrum/ [6] http://www.nsong.org/MediaPublicity/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsID=73 [7] http://www.nercng.org/index.php/media-library/public-notices/511-notice-of-review-of-the-multi-year-tariff-order-myto-methodology-2017