As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, nine civil society and civic technology organisations have unveiled a new platform aimed at reshaping how citizens engage with governance and demand accountability, particularly at the grassroots level.
The initiative, called the Coalition for Participatory Governance (CPG), brings together advocacy and civic groups focused on transparency, public finance accountability, and citizen participation. It is being convened by the TriAfrica Empowerment Foundation, with support from BudgIT and Lagos Island Connect.
Other participating organisations include the Africa Leadership Group, Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), To Build a Nation (TBAN), Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the Center for Fiscal Transparency, and the Nigeria Diaspora Coalition for Change (NDCC).
According to the coalition, the platform is designed to move citizens beyond periodic voting into sustained participation in governance processes. It argues that many of the accountability failures affecting public services are most visible at the local government level, where residents often have the least access to information and oversight tools.
The group says its approach is focused on building stronger community engagement systems, improving collaboration between citizens and local authorities, and strengthening the capacity of local governments to respond to public demands more effectively.
As part of its rollout, the coalition will hold its inaugural town hall meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2026, on Lagos Island. The meeting is expected to convene residents, traditional and community leaders, civil society actors, media representatives, and government officials to examine key accountability challenges affecting service delivery in the area and beyond.
Organisers say the town hall will also serve as an entry point for presenting the coalition’s participatory governance framework, while creating space for public feedback that will help shape its pilot interventions.
Lagos Island has also been selected as the testing ground for the coalition’s pilot project, which will be implemented in partnership with BudgIT, Lagos Island Connect, and EiE Nigeria. The project will explore the use of both digital tools and community-driven monitoring systems to track public spending, improve transparency, and strengthen citizen oversight of local governance.
The coalition said the pilot is intended to test practical models that can be scaled across other parts of the country if successful.
Ultimately, the CPG says its broader goal is to strengthen democratic accountability by ensuring that citizens at the community level are not only informed, but actively involved in shaping decisions and holding public institutions to account.
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