For years, the development narrative in Nigeria has rightly focused on providing essential aid, including food, medicine, and infrastructure, to communities in need. At ANO, we have been proud to contribute to this effort, helping thousands of children and families. Yet, we have come to recognise a crucial, often missing, piece of the puzzle: sustainable transformation requires not just providing resources, but transforming power dynamics.

This belief is echoed globally. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) explicitly calls for promoting “peace, justice and strong institutions.” It underscores the need to “ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” This isn’t a separate goal; it is the foundation upon which all other development goals are built. Without accountable institutions and an engaged citizenry, even the most well-intentioned projects can fail to deliver lasting change.

True, lasting impact comes from empowering people to hold their leaders accountable. It comes from shifting communities from being passive recipients of aid to becoming active agents of their own development.

This is not just theory. It is a lesson we have learned directly from the communities we serve. Based on our recent community consultations in Abuja, we heard a consistent theme: a deep-seated frustration with the disconnect between community needs and government action. People often feel that their voices are not heard in the halls of power, and they lack the tools to advocate for their basic rights.

In response to this need, ANO is developing a new, targeted program focused on civic education and advocacy training.

The “Grassroots Governance Project”

This initiative aims to equip community champions with the practical tools to understand their rights, analyse local government budgets, and engage in peaceful and effective advocacy. We will move beyond theory to practice, helping citizens:

• Decode Governance: Understand the structure of local government and the constitutional rights of every citizen.
• Follow the Money: Demystify local government budgets and track the implementation of public projects.
• Master Peaceful Advocacy: Learn how to write petitions, utilise the Freedom of Information Act, engage with the media, and organise community campaigns.

Our goal is to transform community members from being on the sidelines to being at the heart of the decision-making processes that shape their lives.

This is a pivotal moment for our organisation. We are moving deeper into the work of building a resilient, informed, and empowered civil society, the true engine of a functioning democracy.

We are seeking partners and supporters who share the belief in this vision of bottom-up transformation to help us launch this critical project. If you or your organisation are interested in collaborating for a more accountable and participatory Nigeria, please contact us.

Together, let’s build a future where every citizen has the knowledge and the power to shape their community.