Nine leading civil society and civic technology organisations have established the Coalition for Participatory Governance (CPG) to promote transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery in Nigeria from the local government level.
The coalition, convened by TriAfrica Empowerment Foundation and powered by BudgIT and Lagos Island Connect, brought together other CSOs including Africa Leadership Group, Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), To Build a Nation (TBAN), Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Center for Fiscal Transparency, and Nigeria Diaspora Coalition for Change (NDCC).
According to the coalition, the aim of participatory governance is to encourage citizens to function as active stakeholders in their communities rather than merely voters, adding that it forms the foundation for credible nation-building efforts.
The founding partners explained that the coalition will pursue this goal through community empowerment, local government capacity-building, and strategic stakeholder engagement at national, state, and local levels.
“This coalition is not just another alliance of organisations. It is a deliberate, structured effort to ensure that the people closest to governance failures – ordinary Nigerians in their wards and communities – have the knowledge, tools, and collective voice to demand and sustain change,” the groups stated.
The coalition announced that its inaugural Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to formally introduce the CPG and outline its governance agenda.
The event will also open conversations with community members, government representatives, and civil society stakeholders on pressing accountability challenges facing Lagos Island and Nigeria.
Among the coalition’s early priorities is a pilot project on Lagos Island, developed in collaboration with BudgIT, Lagos Island Connect, and EiE Nigeria.
The project will test new tools and approaches for citizen-facing accountability and local government improvement, according to the statement.
The CPG invited members of the public, media, community leaders, and government officials to attend the Town Hall Meeting on May 7.
Interested participants can contact the coalition through BudgIT at 0805 595 1858 or comms@budgit.org, or reach Enough is Enough Nigeria at 0908 333 1633 or info@eienigeria.org.
The coalition emphasised that strengthening local governance and citizen participation will be critical to addressing Nigeria’s development challenges beyond the 2027 electoral cycle.
