By Mephy James
In a landmark recognition of decades of exemplary service to legislative governance, youth leadership, advocacy and democratic development in Nigeria, Dr. Chibuzo Okereke, a renowned Legislative Governance Expert, Strategist and Policy Analyst, has been formally invested as a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria (Chartered) – ISMNC and a member of the Institute’s Body of Fellow, its highest professional cadre.
The investiture was held during the Institute’s prestigious 2025 Annual Conference and 22nd Annual General Meeting, themed: “Strategic Leadership in Disruptive Economy: Driving Sustainable National Development,” held in Port-Harcourt Nigeria from 23rd – 25th July, 2025.
In an interview with newsmen on the sideline, Okereke expressed delight for the recognition, saying the honour was an indication that his selflessness commitment and contributions to legislative governance and democratic development in Nigeria was not left unnoticed by critical stakeholders.
“Being invested with the revered Fellowship status of the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (Chartered) marks a profound milestone in my professional journey, one for which I am deeply grateful to God Almighty, my family, and the Institute.
“Strategy comes naturally to me, it has always shaped my professional work, and attaining Fellowship status in both knowledge and practice is truly a dream fulfilled.
“As a Fellow of this distinguished Institute, I reaffirm my commitment to applying strategic thinking and leadership to strengthen Nigeria’s legislative processes, democratic governance, and policy environment for sustainable national development,” he said.
This feat has further underscores Okereke’s towering influence and enduring contributions to Nigeria’s policy and legislative landscape.
As President of ERGAF-AFRICA Legislative Governance Innovation and Policy Lab, he has pioneered cutting-edge research and data-tech solutions that provide transformative policy, citizens action, and advisory support to committees of the National Assembly, as well as state and local legislatures.
Dr. Okereke’s reputation is firmly anchored in his innovation, integrity, and unrelenting drive to modernize and democratize legislative processes across Nigeria and Africa.
A 2018 recipient of the 8th Nigerian Senate President’s Best Academic Excellence Award in legislative governance studies, Dr. Okereke has led groundbreaking initiatives such as the African Legislatures Deliberative Barometer Report & Productivity Index—widely acclaimed as the most comprehensive legislative transparency and accountability framework in Africa tracking Healthy Parliaments Productivity Index.
He also facilitated, designed and implemented the first-ever National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance, an unprecedented convergence of fiscal oversight thought-leaders and institutions hosted by the National Assembly, as well the first ever National Assembly of Nigeria Legislative Committees Horizontal Accountability and Productivity Index that tracked and reported on the Nigerian House of Representatives legislative Committees productivity index using key benchmarking metrics.
Okereke’s academic track record is equally distinguished. He holds a PhD in Legislative Governance Studies from Federal University Lokoja; two Master’s Degrees with Distinction in Public Administration & Policy from Baze University, Abuja and Legislative Governance Studies from University of Benin (UniBen)/National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), where he also served with honour and grace as the Golden Jubilee President of the Students’ Union Government.
Okereke is also an alumnus of the EU Inter Pares Legislative Governance School, the Foreign Policy School of the NIIA, School of Strategy and Leadership of the Center-LSD and the Obama YALI Public Policy Track (Regional Leadership Center – RLC West Africa).
Beyond academia and policy design, Dr. Okereke has played catalytic roles in shaping national reform movements, including the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill, Electoral and Police Reforms, and campaigns on Women’s Political Representation and Youth Leadership Development.
He is the Founder of the ERGAF-AFRICA Project Hope Alive Initiative: Day of the African Child, a celebrated civic initiative promoting girl-child education, youth leadership and children’s rights in Nigeria.
His leadership extends to co-convening the National Legislative Conference and pioneering the National Youth Assembly Mock Parliament, which has been instrumental in enhancing youth participation in Nigeria’s budgetary and legislative processes.
With an expansive media footprint, Dr. Okereke is a sought-after policy commentator featured on BBC News and national TV stations, where his thought leadership continues to shape public understanding of legislative governance.
The conferment of the ISMNC Fellowship not only affirms Chibuzo Okereke’s professional excellence, but also represents a significant national milestone in recognizing legislative development, and strategic policy advocacy as a cornerstone of sustainable governance.
His work continues to inspire a new generation of civic leaders and reform advocates committed to people-centred policy innovation, institutional accountability, and strategic national development.
As Nigeria confronts the challenges of a disruptive global economy and evolving democratic landscape, the recognition of Dr. Okereke’s contributions and formal investiture as a Fellow of the ISMNC signals the rising importance of strategic leadership in legislative governance and the urgent need to invest in visionary experts shaping the nation’s future in promotion of the knowledge and practice of strategic management.
Others members of the ISMNC that were invested with Fellowship at the annual conference include Toromade Francis, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mrs Fatima Sugra Mohammed, Permanent Secretary, Head of Service of the Federation, among 20 others.
