Published Papers
Where are the ethics? AI and the digital economy in Nigeria
Policy & Internet (2025), with M. Alakitan
This article investigates the ethical and governance challenges that accompany the rapid expansion of digital technologies and AI systems in Nigeria. We identify gaps in regulatory oversight and data protection that expose citizens to privacy violations and other digital harms. The paper argues for a stronger ethical and policy framework to guide responsible AI adoption in Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
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Leveraging artificial intelligence for enhanced tax fraud detection in modern fiscal systems
GSC Advanced Research and Reviews (2024), with K.O. Ariyibi, O.F. Bello, T.F. Ekundayo, O.I. Oladepo, and I.U. Wada
This paper examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen modern tax administration by improving the detection and prevention of tax fraud. Drawing on machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing techniques, the review evaluates how AI systems identify suspicious patterns and anomalies far more accurately than traditional rule-based methods, with some jurisdictions reporting up to an 85% improvement in fraud detection rates.
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Harnessing artificial intelligence to optimize financial technologies for achieving sustainable development goals
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews (2024), with O. Elias, S.D. Esebre, I. Abijo, M.T. Adesina, T.D. Babayemi, O.I. Oladepo, and I.E. Fatoki
This paper reviews how artificial intelligence is transforming financial technologies (FinTech) in ways that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights how machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision enhance financial inclusion, improve credit scoring and risk assessment, strengthen fraud detection, and expand access to financial services—particularly in underserved populations.
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International political contexts, digital technologies, and political outcomes in Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement
Protest (2024), 4(1), 5–29
When do social movements achieve political outcomes? Existing research points to two key explanations: movements’ organizational infrastructure and the political opportunities structure. Focusing on the 2020 #EndSARS protest in Nigeria, I build on this literature to understand how and why social movements may achieve policy outcomes when social movements’ infrastructure and domestic political opportunities are relatively absent. Read Article
Working Papers
Who Gets Convicted? The Political Economy of Corruption Prosecution Outcomes in Nigeria
This paper studies the determinants of outcomes of corruption prosecution using original data on more than two decades of corruption prosecution cases in Nigeria. I assess how the financial resources available to the defendants (operationalized by the monetary value of the funds allegedly stolen or misappropriated by the defendants) and their socio-economic standings influence whether they are convicted, acquitted, or have their cases stalled.
Anti-corruption or Weaponization? The Politics of Anti-Corruption Prosecution in Nigeria
Anti-corruption efforts are often presented as impartial actions designed to promote accountability and dis-incentivize corruption. In practice, however, they can be politi- cized and selectively enforced to serve partisan ends. This paper provides systematic evidence of such dynamics in Nigeria. Drawing on an original dataset of corruption allegations, investigations, and prosecutions involving high-level public officials in Nigeria, I examine how party affiliation and ties to the ruling president influence the decision on who gets prosecuted and the outcomes of prosecutions.