John Onyeukwu

Currently, the DCOP (acting COP January – April, 2022) on the USAID 5-year $72.36 million Nigeria State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity. In this role, I lead the state teams in Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Ebonyi and Sokoto to increase the efficiency of government operations, improve states’ governance response to citizens, and improve states’ ability to manage conflict and provide better services in education, health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). I am a four-time DCOP on large, fast-paced USAID programs across Nigeria, including in high-conflict areas in the northeast, excels at technical programming, developing and sustaining strong working relationships with stakeholders and project staff. I have more than 25 years of experience working with Nigerian government, civil society, and private sector partners on budget transparency, procurement reform, audit systems, stabilization and transition, conflict prevention and mitigation, and civil society engagement, gender, youth and disability. I have reputation for promoting interventions based on evidence, harmonizing tasks and operations, and ensuring results by working effectively and collaboratively. As DCOP of the Nigeria Lake Chad Basin Program and its predecessor, the Nigeria Regional Transition Initiative, I was responsible for program development, media engagement, and analysis and dissemination of lessons learned from TA and grant activities. I lead my teams through the full activity cycle to ensure that the results would restore trust and build confidence between communities and local government. I oversaw grant funds of up to $40 million, immediate reports of up to six, and regular contact with larger program teams of up to 145 people in multiple offices. As DCOP for USAID’s Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement, I advised the COP on the optimum modalities for collaborating with CSO clusters that were focused on broad-based reforms as well as sector-specific improvements. My work supported strong program results, including a 20 percent increase in educational funding in Enugu and Ebonyi in 2016. I have adapted approaches of thinking and working politically, including the design and implementation of PEAs to guide program implementation. I have LL.B (second class upper honors) from Obafemi Awolowo University, BL. from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, LLM from the University of Lagos, M.A. in public policy from Central European University, Hungary, and M.A in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of York, UK. I am a recipient of several academic and professional awards, including the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Masters Program in Public Policy - Mundus MAPP Fellowship, the Open Society International Policy Fellowship and the UAC Nigeria Higher Education Scholarship.