Tobechukwu is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Political Economy, Kings College London. His research focuses on how social media-enabled connections between citizens at ‘home’ and in the diaspora shape citizen perceptions of state legitimacy in new democracies. Specifically, the study seeks to understand historical and cultural factors that shape citizens’ perceptions of state legitimacy; interrogate debates on how social media provides agency for citizens at home and in the diaspora to engage themselves and the state; explore how such relations determine political/development outcomes in the home country; and assess how these are applicable in Nigeria.

Prior to joining Kings College London, he worked with ODI as research and evidence manager on the Learning, Evidence and Advocacy Partnership (LEAP) programme; and as a research associate on the Aligning Migration Management and Migration–Development Nexus (MIGNEX) and the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crises (ERICC) programmes. He has most recently been working with the Policy Practice on the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria Education (PLANE) programme as an advisor.

Tobechukwu holds a BSc (First Class Hons.) in Political Science and Public Administration from University of Benin, Nigeria; an MSc in Political Science (Comparative Politics) from University of Ibadan, Nigeria; and a masters degree in Public Policy from the University of Oxford, UK.

Research interests

• State-society relations
• Diaspora politics
• Migration
• Digital societies

PhD supervisors

Dr Portia Roelofs and Dr Rod Dacombe