Executive Opinion: An Interview with Professor Bell Ihua

It is a privilege to have been able to catch up with Professor Bell Ihua Executive Director at Nigeria's leading opinion research think tank, Africa Polling Institute (API). He was recently featured in a blog by his Alma Mater in commemoration of the 2021 ?Black History Month: Alumni Focus,? where he narrated his UK experiences from his PhD study at the Kent Business School to teaching at Coventry University. This was where his passion for public opinion polling was nurtured, and his view of world development expanded. In this conversation, Professor Ihua touches on a range of subjects from his background to life in academia going into practice and bridging the gap between town and gown. Other pertinent issues impacting upon African Business and Economic Research are also discussed from the impact of Covid-19, through the need for conducting quality research (academic and policy), to matters surrounding national cohesion, security, and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria in particular, and Africa more broadly. This article provides a summary of the transcript.