By Agbafo Ijeoma
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has presented its ninth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 Shadow Report at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, calling for Nigeria’s progress on security, justice and governance to be assessed through citizens’ experiences.
The Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Mr Auwal Ibrahim Musa-Rafsanjani, said independent evidence was necessary for a credible assessment of the country’s progress.
He said the real measure of SDG 16 should include whether Nigerians experienced greater security, accessible justice, transparent governance, effective accountability and increased confidence in public institutions.
The report, covering developments between July 2025 and August 2026, assesses Nigeria’s performance in areas including peace, justice, institutional accountability, civic freedoms, corruption, illicit financial flows and access to justice.
Rafsanjani said official government reports should be complemented by independent research, monitoring findings and the experiences of communities. He said the report was not intended to portray Nigeria negatively but to provide evidence that could strengthen accountability and support practical reforms.
The organisation gave particular attention to insecurity and what it described as an expanding kidnap-for-ransom economy, noting its effects on farmers, schoolchildren, businesses and citizens’ confidence in institutions responsible for their protection.
Rafsanjani also identified terrorism, illicit financial flows, illegal arms movements, organised crime and cross-border criminal networks as challenges requiring international cooperation.
He said the UN platform could support stronger collaboration on asset recovery, financial transparency, institutional capacity and efforts to disrupt criminal financial networks, stressing that policies and international commitments must be measured against their impact on citizens.
