KEY POINTS
• CISLAC has presented Nigeria’s ninth SDG 16 Shadow Report at the 81st UN General Assembly.
• The report assesses peace, justice, institutional accountability, civic freedoms, corruption, illicit financial flows and access to justice from July 2025 to August 2026.
• CISLAC says progress on security, justice and governance should be assessed against citizens’ experiences, alongside government policies and international commitments.
• The organisation identified insecurity, kidnapping, illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements and organised crime as areas requiring stronger national and international cooperation.
MAIN STORY
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has called for Nigeria’s progress on security, justice and governance to be assessed against the experiences of citizens rather than policies and international commitments alone.
The organisation made the position while presenting Nigeria’s ninth SDG 16 Shadow Report at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, said independent evidence was necessary to provide a credible assessment of the country’s progress under Sustainable Development Goal 16.
The report covers developments between July 2025 and August 2026 and examines Nigeria’s performance in areas including peace, justice, institutional accountability, civic freedoms, corruption, illicit financial flows and access to justice.
Rafsanjani said official government reporting remained necessary but should be complemented by independent research, monitoring findings and evidence from communities.
He said the shadow report was not intended to replace official assessments or portray Nigeria negatively internationally. Rather, CISLAC said it was using the report to put independently gathered evidence before national and international stakeholders, strengthen accountability and support practical reforms.
According to Rafsanjani, constructive accountability requires recognition of areas where progress has been made alongside identification of failures and workable responses.
He said independent reporting could also draw attention to issues that might otherwise receive limited policy focus while bringing citizens’ experiences into discussions about governance and institutional performance.
The 2026 report places particular emphasis on insecurity and what CISLAC describes as an expanding kidnap for ransom economy.
Rafsanjani said the consequences of insecurity extend beyond conventional law enforcement concerns, affecting economic activity, education and citizens’ ability to move and work freely.
He pointed to farmers being unable to access their farms, children being kept away from schools and businesses facing higher security costs as examples of how insecurity can produce wider economic and development consequences.
He also linked insecurity to public confidence, noting that citizens who are unable to travel or work freely may lose confidence in institutions responsible for protecting them.
Rafsanjani said the decision to present the report at the UN was intended to place Nigeria’s international commitments alongside independent evidence and citizens’ daily experiences.
He identified terrorism, illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements, organised crime and cross border criminal networks as challenges requiring cooperation beyond Nigeria’s borders.
According to him, the UN platform provides an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation on asset recovery, financial transparency, institutional capacity and efforts to disrupt criminal financial networks.
THE ISSUES
- CISLAC’s report places citizens’ experiences at the centre of assessing SDG 16, arguing that the adoption of policies and participation in international engagements should be measured against their practical effects on security, justice and governance.
- The report covers a broad range of governance issues, extending from insecurity and access to justice to civic freedoms, corruption, institutional accountability and illicit financial flows.
- Insecurity has consequences beyond the immediate threat to life and property. Restrictions on farming, schooling, movement and business activity can affect wider economic and development outcomes.
- Several of the challenges identified by CISLAC have a cross border dimension, making international cooperation relevant to issues such as illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements, asset recovery and organised crime.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The true measure of SDG 16 is not how many policies Nigeria adopts or how many international meetings it attends. It is whether Nigerians experience greater security, accessible justice, transparent governance, effective accountability and stronger confidence in public institutions.” – Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, CISLAC
“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.” – Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, CISLAC
“Policies and promises are important, but they are not enough.” – Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, CISLAC
WHAT’S NEXT
CISLAC said the UN platform could be used to strengthen international cooperation around asset recovery, financial transparency, institutional capacity and disruption of criminal financial networks linked to terrorism, illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements and organised crime.
BOTTOM LINE
CISLAC’s ninth SDG 16 Shadow Report places citizens’ experiences alongside official reporting in assessing Nigeria’s progress on security, justice and governance. The organisation said independent evidence can strengthen accountability and support practical reforms at national and international levels.
