NIGERIA’s progress on security, justice and governance should ultimately be judged by what citizens experience rather than policies and international commitments alone, says the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) said this while presenting a paper at Nigeria’s 9th SDG 16 Shadow Report at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
Auwal Ibrahim Musa, popularly known as Rafsanjani, CISLAC’s Executive Director who made the presentation and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, who made the presentation, said independent evidence was essential to credible assessment of national progress.
“The true measure of SDG 16 is not how many policies Nigeria adopts or how many international meetings it attends,” he said., adding: “It is whether Nigerians experience greater security, accessible justice, transparent governance, effective accountability and stronger confidence in public institutions.”
The Shadow Report covers developments from July 2025 to August 2026. It assesses Nigeria’s performance on peace, justice, institutional accountability, civic freedoms, corruption, illicit financial flows and access to justice.
According to Rafsanjani, official government reporting is necessary but should be complemented by independent research, monitoring findings and community experiences.
He explained that the report was not designed to replace official assessments or present Nigeria negatively before the international community.
“Our purpose is not to take Nigeria’s challenges abroad simply for criticism. “It is to place credible evidence before national and international stakeholders, strengthen accountability and mobilise cooperation for practical reforms,” he said.
Rafsanjani said constructive accountability required acknowledging areas of progress while identifying failures and proposing practical solutions.
He said independent reporting could also highlight problems that might otherwise receive insufficient attention and bring citizens’ experiences into policy discussions.
The 2026 report gives particular attention to insecurity and what CISLAC describes as an expanding kidnap-for-ransom economy.
According to the organisation, kidnapping has implications extending far beyond conventional law enforcement.
He said farmers unable to access farms, children kept away from schools and businesses facing rising security costs could translate insecurity into wider economic and development setbacks.
According to him, citizens afraid to travel or work freely could also lose confidence in institutions expected to protect them.
“We are presenting Nigeria’s SDG 16 Shadow Report at the United Nations because international commitments must be tested against independent evidence and the daily experiences of citizens,” he said.
“Policies and promises are important, but they are not enough.”
Rafsanjani identified terrorism, illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements, organised crime and cross-border criminal networks among problems requiring cooperation beyond Nigeria.
He said the UN platform could strengthen international cooperation on asset recovery, financial transparency, institutional capacity and disruption of criminal financial networks. (NAN)
