IN A SIGNIFICANT step towards enhancing civic engagement and protecting citizens’ rights, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Wednesday unveiled a consolidated digital application designed to centralise the reporting of social injustices and governance failures.
The new platform, named ‘Reportrix,’ was announced at a press conference at CITAD’s office in Kano by the organisation’s Executive Director, YZ Ya’u.
The application integrates four of CITAD’s existing reporting tools into a single, user-friendly interface for both mobile and web, aiming to overcome the challenges posed by previously scattered systems.
Ya’u explained that while the individual platforms for reporting gender-based violence, misinformation, digital rights violations, and abandoned projects have had a tangible impact, their disparate nature limited accessibility.
He further noted that the interlinked nature of certain violations, such as a gender-based violence case being exacerbated by a digital rights violation online, necessitated a more holistic approach.
“The Unified CITAD Reporting App responds directly to this challenge,” stated Ya’u. “It centralizes our reporting systems into a single interface that is easier, faster, and more accessible for all Nigerians, regardless of their digital literacy level or location.”
The unified application is structured around four key modules. The Gender-Based Violence Reporting module offers a secure and confidential channel for victims to report abuse and seek help. The Fake News and Misinformation component, first launched in 2016, allows users to submit suspicious content and track fact-checking outcomes.
A new Digital Rights Reporting module enables citizens to document online harassment, privacy breaches, and censorship. Finally, the updated “Report a Project” feature continues to empower Nigerians to highlight poorly executed or abandoned government projects using geolocation and photo evidence.
The platform is positioned as a comprehensive one-stop civic accountability tool. It offers multi-language support in English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, robust data privacy measures for sensitive cases, and public-facing dashboards with visualisations of national trends to inform advocacy and policy dialogue.
While concluding, Ya’u issued a call to action, urging citizens to adopt the application, government agencies to collaborate on addressing reported cases, and civil society and media partners to amplify the initiative.
“CITAD remains committed to a Nigeria where technology is used to protect rights, not undermine them,” he affirmed. “The Unified CITAD Reporting App is a step toward that vision.”
