Prof. Femi Olufunmilade is currently Director, Buratai Center for Contemporary Security Affairs, which he pioneered, at Igbinedion University Okada, Edo State, Nigeria. Previously at the same institution, he served as Head of Department of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, and Chairman of the Board of Part-Time Studies.
He holds a PhD in Political Science (with a major in International Relations and Strategic Studies), a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies, a BSc in Political Science, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism, and a Certificate in Politics and Policymaking from the Brookings Institution, Washington DC, USA.
For decades, he has been a respected political commentator in Nigeria’s most influential newspapers, including The Guardian, Daily Sun, Leadership, and The Nation. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Diplomatic Digest, an online medium dedicated to diplomatic and strategic affairs. He previously served on the Editorial Boards of The Tribune and Daily Telegraph newspapers.
Beyond the classroom and newsroom, Prof. Olufunmilade has been an active participant in Nigeria’s political process since the return to democracy in 1999. He was a founding member of three major political parties — the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) — and served on their Presidential Election Campaign Councils as well as governorship and parliamentary campaign structures. In 2019 and 2023, he was a Presidential Aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Catalogue of Political Campaign Skills
Prof. Olufunmilade’s unique value as a Political Campaign Strategist lies in his rare combination of academic rigour, insider political experience, and proven results across multiple election cycles. His core competencies include:
- High-level campaign architecture — designing and executing winning strategies for presidential, governorship, and parliamentary races
- Manifesto and Policy Papers Development/ Formulation — crafting comprehensive, voter-centred manifestos and detailed policy documents that clearly articulate vision, priorities, and actionable programmes
- Voter intelligence and mobilisation — building grassroots networks, targeting swing demographics, and driving high-turnout operations
- Coalition engineering and alliance management — forging and sustaining multi-party and cross-regional partnerships
- Strategic communications and media dominance — crafting compelling narratives, managing media relations, and leveraging both traditional and digital platforms
- Political risk assessment and crisis response — anticipating threats, neutralising opposition narratives, and protecting campaign momentum
- Policy messaging and brand positioning — translating complex policy ideas into voter-resonant platforms that win hearts and minds
- Election-day logistics and integrity assurance — coordinating field operations, agent deployment, and result collation systems
These skills, sharpened through direct involvement in Nigeria’s most consequential political battles since 1999, make him an exceptional asset for any serious political campaign seeking strategic depth, intellectual authority, and battlefield-proven execution.
As a prolific academic, his key publications include The Rudiments of Foreign Intelligence: Spying Among Nations, Securing Nigeria in the 21st Century: The Issues, China’s Economic Miracle: Lessons of Deng Xiaoping Development Strategies for Africa, Perspectives On Boko Haram, Barack Obama and the African Dreamers, and From Hot Sun to Hot Seat: A Young Man’s Impression of President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, among others.
Prof. Femi Olufunmilade brings to every engagement not only scholarly excellence but a practitioner’s edge — the kind that turns political ambition into electoral victory.