About CMPA

What We Do

CMPA works to strengthen democratic development and accountable governance in Nigeria by providing high-quality research, media development, public policy analysis, social advocacy and public engagement, as well as training and capacity building services to our partners and clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help transform democracy and democratic governance in Nigeria by making public institutions more accountable, more transparent and more responsive to the needs of citizens

Our Vision

We envision ourselves to be among the most impactful civil society organizations working in the areas of democratic development and accountable governance in Nigeria over the next decade.

Meet Our Team

CMPA as an organization is led and managed by a 6-member Board of Directors comprising dedicated and experienced experts in various fields. The Board is supported by a competent management team and support staff who oversee the day-today activities of the organization.

Dr. Suleiman A. Suleiman

Executive Director

Our Executive Director, Dr Suleiman A. Suleiman has nearly 20 years’ combined experience in academia, professional journalism practice, and international development. He was most recently Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Daily Trust newspaper, Abuja, and remains a widely read columnist with the paper. He was previously Assistant Professor in Journalism and Public Policy at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, and DFID Research Fellow in Anti-Corruption Policy at the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Abuja. He holds a PhD (Politics) from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, and Advanced Certificate Course in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London, UK. He has published research in reputable peer-reviewed journals and consulted for several international development partners on various projects.

Abdulmutallib A. ABUBAKAR, PhD

Deputy Executive Director/Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Is the Deputy Executive Director/Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the CMPA. He researches and teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Nigeria for more than 15 years. He also serves as the Coordinator Research, Publication and Documentation at the UNIMAID’s Centre for Peace, Diplomatic and Development Studies (CPDDS). Abubakar earned PhD, M.Sc. and B. A. Degrees in Mass Communication where he majored in broadcast media, print media, and social media Studies and Journalism from University of Maiduguri, UNESCO Centre of Excellence in Media and Cinematography, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Lagos and Bayero University, Kano (BUK) respectively.

Abubakar was awarded with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Prize for the Best Graduating Student in Mass Communication in BUK. He also served as a Court reporter, political reporter and National Assembly correspondent of the Daily Trust Newspapers, Abuja, Nigeria. Abubakar has also worked with various international and national governmental and non-governmental organizations and development partners such as UNICEF and Coalition Resources (CR-UK) as rapporteur, facilitator, research assistant and research team member.

His research interests are on media studies, media and health, political communication, media and conflict, media and Islam, journalism and film studies. He also has over 40 publications on his areas of interest in journals and edited books published in Nigeria and abroad.

Naziru M. ABUBAKAR, PhD. Fellow

Director, Policy and Strategic Planning

Mr. Mikail brings over 15 years of expertise in Multiplatform Journalism, project management, leadership, and strategic policy development across local and international organizations. He has a proven track record of launching and managing media platforms featuring award-winning content. Until September 2024, he served as Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director at Daily Trust, one of Nigeria’s leading news companies, and spent a decade at the BBC World Service in the UK and Nigeria, culminating in his role as Nigeria Editor overseeing teams across West Africa.

Beyond journalism, Mr. Mikail has extensive project management experience. He played a leading role in the establishment of Trust TV and Trust Radio, overseeing the procurement of over $500,000 worth of studio equipment. As BBC Africa’s Editorial Project Manager, he recruited 40+ staff for its digital-only Yoruba, Igbo, and Pidgin services. He has also been a media consultant for organizations like the Pew Research Centre, Tropical General Investment, MacArthur Foundation, and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa).

In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious World Journalist Fellowship at New York University (NYU), where he earned an MA in Digital Media and Innovation. Prior to this, he obtained an MA in New Media from the University of Leicester, England, and a BA in Mass Communication from Bayero University, Kano. He is currently pursuing a PhD. in Media and Communication at the University of Westminster, London.

Isah IBN-MOHAMMED, PhD. Fellow

Senior Consultant and Research Fellow

Is an Academic and a Researcher with over a decade of experience working in the academia and non-profit sector. He’s a PhD. Fellow in Political Science at the Nigerian Defense Academy, currently working on a thesis around the intersection of nomadism, religion, identity, and conflict. His research interest revolves around governance, policy, corruption, anticorruption, postcolonialism, identity, conflict, political economy analysis, climate and environmental politics and policies, and secession.

He currently teaches in the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Federal Polytechnic Idah, Kogi State. Over the past one decade, Ibn-Mohammed has worked with the African Centre for Learning Communities (ACLC), the International Centre for Development Affairs (ICDA), and the United Nation’s Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE Minna) in various capacities and has also consulted for both local and international organizations.

Isah has delivered papers across Africa and Asia, and currently sits on the board of several non-profit organizations locally and internationally including the African Agenda; a continental network of thinkers, working to solve Africa’s most pressing problems. Before joining the Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA), Ibn-Mohammed was the Development and Research Consultant at Esteemed-Hub Foundation. Isah has over twenty-five (25) peer reviewed papers published in both local, international journals and book chapters.

Halima Umar SALEH

Treasurer

is a seasoned experienced and efficient multimedia journalist with over 10-year experience of covering global and regional news for both local and international media. She has worked with Voice of Nigeria (VON) and presently working with BBC Hausa as Digital Lead. She is the current treasurer of the Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA).

Nimat O. SULEIMAN

Program Officer

Is the Program Officer at CMPA. She is passionate advocate for good governance and anti-corruption where she supports program implementation, monitoring and evaluation. She is keen on advocacy around good governance and civic participation which is key to her work with the team.

She is an outstanding asset committed to achieving organizational vision and client satisfaction through; artless integrity, quality compliance, discipline, teamwork and astute contributions.

She is a highly motivated and dedicated individual with a passion for continuous learning and personal growth, inspired by the desire to contribute to positive change and development. In her free time, she enjoys reading writing and exploring new cuisines.

Liman Abdullahi USMAN

Communications Officer

He is a passionate advocate for social change and a dedicated member of the CMPA team. As a Communications Officer, Abdullahi is responsible for managing the internal and external publics of the Centre including the media and partner organizations from the private, public and non-profit sectors.

His strong belief in the power of education and social advocacy to enhance anti-corruption effort is well carried out in his role at CMPA, where he believes in not only holding public officers accountable, but also naming and faming them when they do the right things that enhances good governance, transparency and consolidates Nigeria’s democratic gains.

He recently worked with the publication wing of Crystal4Peace Ventures where he served as Editorial Assistant for their Quarterly Magazine publication, manage online content and also host Radio programs on their behalf. More so, his experience working as Development knowledge Facilitator (DKF) under the Sustainable development goals (SDG) group where he and his group carried out sensitization on human rights abuses, indiscriminate and unlawful arrests and detention by law enforcements to communities, Prisons and market places. With a B.Sc. in Mass Communication, his key strengths are in the RACE Formula of PR communication i.e. (Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation). He works well under pressure; achieve results independently as well as in groups, and he is known to prioritize assignments and to meet deadlines and targets.

Get in touch

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  • +234 (0)706 645 1983

Testimonials

“CMPA is made up of great professionals, I definitely recommend their services.”

Amina • Hassan

“I enjoyed the program arranged by the Centre for Media, Policy, and Accountability. I learnt a lot of valuable information.”

Isah • Suleiman

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