The Harvard Crimson quotes Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham on how the violence in northeast Nigeria could deter voting in the upcoming election:
Boko Haram’s attacks cut against many of the values we should most esteem: education, freedom, social opportunity, and political engagement. Whether kidnapping schoolgirls or slaughtering entire villages, Boko Haram is irredeemably opposed to the idea that communities can better themselves through education and economic progress. They also stand as a grave obstacle to Nigeria’s upcoming elections. Dr. J. Peter Pham, director at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center, points out the violence in Nigeria’s northeast will deter “at least 1.5 million people” from voting.