Background

Nigeria’s democratic journey has been marked by progress and challenges. Despite credible elections in 2015, citizens continue to face gross political marginalization, insecurity, and widespread corruption that weakens governance, justice delivery, and economic growth. Citizens are frustrated that billions of dollars earned from oil and gas have not translated into improved livelihoods—over 42% of Nigerians still live in poverty. This crisis of accountability motivated the launch of the ACCESS Nigeria Project (2018–2021), funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

About the ACCESS Project

The ACCESS Nigeria Project was designed to “Promoting Civil Society Participation in Anti-Corruption Efforts” by empowering citizens, strengthening justice institutions, and fostering collaboration between government and communities. Implemented by Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) and a consortium of partners from 2018 to 2021, the project focused on increasing access to government information, advocating for justice sector reforms such as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), leveraging technology to monitor service delivery, and piloting community-driven approaches to reduce tolerance for corruption. Through citizen scorecards, awareness campaigns, trainings, and partnerships, the project provided platforms for Nigerians to hold leaders accountable and contributed to building a culture of transparency and integrity in governance. The Project aimed to:

• Strengthen national structures for combating corruption.

• Increase citizen access to government information as a tool to fight corruption.

• Leverage citizen participation and technology to advance state and local anti-corruption efforts.

• Pilot behavioral approaches that counter corruption at the community level.

The project was delivered in partnership with PartnersGlobal, BudgIT, Public Private Development Centre (PPDC), CLEEN Foundation, and New-Rule LLC.

What We Did

Over three years, ACCESS Nigeria:

• Advocated for adoption and implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA/ACJL) in Bauchi, Plateau, and Oyo States through multi-stakeholder dialogues, training, and awareness campaigns.

• Built citizen accountability tools – including the Citizen Scorecard App and Facilitating Accountability, Integrity & Resilience (FAIR) program – enabling communities in Adamawa, Ebonyi, and the FCT to assess local government performance.

• Trained criminal justice actors (prosecutors, police, prison officials, and court staff) in Oyo, strengthening their capacity to implement ACJL.

• Created public awareness through social media campaigns, TweetMeets, IEC materials, and town halls, reaching citizens with anti-corruption messages.

• Recruited and trained Transparency and Accountability Practitioners (TAPs) who worked with local governments to pilot behavioral change initiatives.

Key Outcomes in Numbers

• 500,000+ citizens reached through social media campaigns and digital dialogues.

• 10+ social media campaigns visualizing discrepancies in the National Assembly budget.

• 60+ criminal justice actors trained on ACJL provisions in Oyo State alone.

• 6 Local Government Councils (LGCs) engaged across Adamawa, Ebonyi, and FCT, with citizen scorecards developed.

• 41 Transparency and Accountability Practitioners recruited to support FAIR interventions.

• Multi-stakeholder adoption committees established to monitor ACJA implementation in target states.

Impact

The ACCESS Nigeria Project succeeded in shifting the accountability landscape by:

• Providing citizens with platforms and knowledge to hold their governments accountable.

• Increasing political will for anti-corruption reforms, with Bauchi and Plateau advancing their ACJLs and Oyo implementing targeted trainings.

• Strengthening collaboration between civil society, justice actors, and communities.

• Demonstrating that technology, citizen scorecards, and behavioral incentives can change attitudes towards corruption at the grassroots level.

Voices from the Field

• “Through the Citizen Scorecard workshops, we now know what services to demand from our local government and how to track them. Before, we just complained; now, we act.” — Community Leader, Ebonyi State.

• “The ACJL training opened my eyes to my role as a prosecutor in ensuring justice is not delayed. I am committed to applying this knowledge daily.” — Prosecutor, Oyo State.

• “The FAIR program showed us that small changes in local governance can reduce corruption and improve trust between citizens and officials.” — Transparency and Accountability Practitioner

Get Involved

The fight against corruption requires citizens, government, and civil society working together. You can support PWAN’s ongoing work by:

📌 Partnering with us to expand accountability tools across Nigeria.

📌 Donating to support citizen scorecards and justice actor trainings.

📌 Joining the conversation on our social media platforms.