One key but often ignored reason for Nigeria’s multiple crises of development and political instability is the lack of popular participation in governance and decision making. This has resulted in poor accountability and lack of transparency in resource allocation, policy formulation and programme implementation.
Particularly excluded from the governance process in Nigeria are women, youth, ethnic minorities and the rural and urban poor. Nigeria has consequently become a conflict-prone country with a high frequency of violent inter-group conflicts, ethnic militia-led protest actions and calls for the break up of the Nigerian federation.
NOF’s grant-making around these issues therefore emphasizes two broad but inter-related strategies with high transformative potentials:
- Peace-building and conflict management
- Citizen participation and good governance
Common to our support for these two lines of socio-political change, is a focus on efforts to make Nigeria’s democracy:
- more inclusive of women, youth and ethnic minorities.
- more accountable at every level of government (local, state and federal) through curbs on corruption and waste.
- empowering of communities and youth group to dialogue and collaborate in the prevention and control of inter-group conflict.