32 • The designation of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief and Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR) Ufot G Ekaette, mni, as the National Focal Point (NFP). • The establishment of a 22-member National Steering Committee (NSC) to oversee the implementation of the APR national process. • The establishment of a National Working Group (NWG) as the equivalent of the National Commission/Council. The NWG at the time comprised 31 members representing the following sectors: government, civil society, the media, the legislature, academia, the trade unions, women’s groups and the private sector. • The appointment of 10 technical research institutes (TRIs) spanning the six geopolitical zones in the country to spearhead the self-assessment exercise. 1.5 The CSM 31. Once the national structures had been established, the APR Panel’s Country Support Mission (CSM) was fielded to Nigeria from 21 to 24 March 2005. The purpose of the CSM was to assess the processes and mechanisms put in place by Nigeria to undertake its self-assessment and subsequently draft its NPoA. The CSM also had to conclude negotiations and sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the technical assessment missions and the CRM. 32. Deliberations during the CSM focused mainly on the national structures and on the sensitisation and mobilisation of the public. Following discussions, both sides agreed that the NWG be expanded to include more civil society groups and that a nonstate functionary be appointed as chairperson of this group. 33. The Nigerian APRM process ran into problems, however, particularly as regards the management and financing of the diverse and complex research institutions selected. A stalemate necessitated the fielding of a follow-up mission in October 2006. 34. In the final analysis, five lead research organisations (LROs) were commissioned during the third and fourth quarters of 2006 to assess the perceptions of Nigerians on the quality of governance in the country. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) produced a comprehensive masshousehold survey (MHS) report. From this report and other desktop research, as well as supplementary interviews, the other four LROs produced reports on the following APRM thematic areas: • Democracy and good political governance [Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)]. • Economic governance and management (Africa Institute of Applied Economics). • Corporate (RIMT)]. • Socioeconomic development [Research International Market Trends (RIMT) and Research & Marketing Services (RMS)]. governance [Research International Market Trends