Following the signature in July 2012 of a Memorandum of Understanding between IFRA-Nigeria and Sciences Po Paris concerning the participation of our Institute in the Habitele Project, Professor Dominique Boullier arrived from France on 20 August 2012 for a 2-day training programme intended for the IFRA-Nigeria research team. The 6-member team includes Dr. Gérard Chouin (Research Director of IFRA-Nigeria), Dr. Olusola O. Isola (Senior Lecturer, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan), Mr. Adeola Adams (Ph.D. candidate, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan), Mr. Raji Ganiyu (Ph.D. candidate, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan), Mr. Joseph O. Ayodokun (Field researcher, IFRA-Nigeria), and Mr. Olushola Babalola (Documentalist, IFRA-Nigeria).

The intensive training programme included discussions on the theoretical foundations of the Habitele Project, a review of the protocol to be followed by the researchers, a review of the materials to be used during interviews, and a hands-on session on the use of Oxygen Forensic Suite 2012, a software package to be used to extract data from the phones of the volunteers taking part in the study.

Activities of IFRA-Nigeria ‘Habitele’ Research Group

September 2012
A first group meeting was organized by the IFRA-Nigeria research team on 25 September 2012 to plan the research activities. The members of the group redesigned the call for participation to be disseminated, the participation agreement to be signed by the volunteers, and the information forms that will serve as a basis for the selection of participants. A strategy to reach out to volunteers was designed and the structure of a desirable sample defined.

October 2012
The revised forms were approved during a meeting organized in the boardroom of IFRA-Nigeria on Tuesday, 2 October2012. IFRA-Nigeria Junior and Senior Fellows who wish to help the research group in reaching out to volunteers can collect copies of the call for participation [insert a link to page ‘call for participation’] as well as information forms at the general office, IFRA-Nigeria, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. All forms must be returned on or before 12 October 2012. Members of the research groups also began discussing possible case studies.