By Yinka Giwa
Leading civil society organisations, including Amnesty International Nigeria and ActionAid Nigeria, alongside 48 other top advocacy groups, have raised alarm over Nigeria’s trajectory, warning of a looming national collapse amid worsening insecurity, deepening poverty, and growing threats to democracy.
In a joint statement, the coalition, also comprising BudgIT Foundation, Centre for Democracy and Development, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, and Yiaga Africa, said Nigerians were bearing the brunt of economic hardship while political elites continued to benefit from rising public revenues.
“Across the country, citizens count losses while politicians trade rhetoric,” the groups said, citing rising living costs, displacement, and widening inequality despite record government earnings.
The organisations noted that recent fiscal reforms have pushed federal budgets in the past two years beyond ₦100 trillion, yet public services remain poor and living standards continue to decline.
“Public services falter, inequality grows, and ordinary citizens become poorer while politicians get richer,” the statement said, warning that poverty has effectively become institutionalised.
The coalition identified insecurity as a major national emergency, pointing to widespread killings, abductions, and displacement across several regions. It also linked rural banditry to food shortages and inflation, warning of a growing hunger crisis.
Kidnapping, it added, has become a “nationwide industry,” affecting both urban and rural populations.
Beyond economic and security concerns, the groups warned of a shrinking civic space, alleging harassment of journalists and intimidation of activists, alongside entrenched corruption and weak accountability systems.
They further expressed concern about Nigeria’s democratic future, warning that political manipulation and the erosion of institutional trust could undermine the country’s multiparty system ahead of the 2027 elections.
This warning aligns with a new policy report released by the Athena Election Observatory, which flagged growing risks to the credibility of future elections due to political fragmentation and institutional strain.
The report, titled “Nigeria’s Democracy and the Imperative of Competitive Politics,” observed a pattern of leadership disputes, fragile alliances, and factional battles across major parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party.
According to the Observatory, these crises are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a deeper structural imbalance within Nigeria’s political system.
“This is not just about party disagreements. It is about the weakening of the systems that are supposed to organise competition, manage conflict, and ultimately guarantee meaningful choice for voters,” the report stated.
It warned that political actors are increasingly outpacing the institutions meant to regulate them, creating a widening gap between political activity and institutional capacity.
The report also highlighted the growing role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in determining leadership outcomes within parties, cautioning that inconsistent or opaque decisions could erode public confidence.
It further raised concerns about the increasing reliance on the judiciary to resolve intra-party disputes, warning that this trend risks weakening internal party governance and undermining the broader democratic ecosystem.
“When courts become the primary arena for resolving political disagreements, parties gradually lose the capacity to govern themselves,” the report noted.
Both the civil society coalition and the policy report warned that a fragmented political environment could reduce the credibility of electoral choices and turn elections into mere procedural exercises rather than genuine expressions of democratic will.
In response, the civil society groups called for urgent reforms, including economic relief measures, improved security coordination, decisive anti-corruption action, and safeguards for electoral integrity ahead of 2027.
They also urged the protection of civil liberties and immediate steps to restore confidence in the judiciary.
“Nigerians deserve relief, justice, and dignity, not just slogans,” the coalition said, warning that continued inaction could further destabilise the country.
Declaring that “the time for excuses is over,” the groups called on leaders to prioritise governance over politics and ensure that public resources translate into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.