Nigeria’s governance suffers from a profound defect: the absence of accountability. Leaders announce multi-trillion-naira budgets with great ceremony, governors flag-off infrastructure projects amid public acclaim, and grandiloquent policies are initiated. Yet, when delivery fails—as it routinely does—no real consequences follow.

This gap between authority and responsibility has persisted since independence in 1960, undermining 66 years of nation-building efforts. The issue originates in a system where public office is treated as personal entitlement rather than public trust. The 2023 report of the Auditor-General documented N12 trillion in unaccounted public funds, including budgeted roads that never materialised and schools left in disrepair.

Oversight institutions falter. The National Assembly, with its N200 billion annual budget for members’ perks, conducts investigations selectively to protect one another and allies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, have been compromised by executive interference and internal corruption. They prosecute minor offenders while major culprits evade justice.

Citizens endure the direct impact. In Lagos State, despite trillions of naira in allocations and internal revenues, about 70 per cent of residents lack access to potable water, according to BudgIT data. Northern states proclaim free education, yet UNICEF reports 70 per cent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children are from there. These shortcomings reflect systemic opacity. The Freedom of Information Act of 2011 is largely ignored, with only 12 per cent of ministries disclosing records, per YIAGA Africa. Without transparency, misconduct proliferates.

Corruption represents one facet; the broader malaise is the erosion of institutional legitimacy. This is against a backdrop of gradually lowering but still moderately high inflation rate of about 15 per cent and 50 million unemployed youths, according to National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, 2026.

Progress is possible. Organisations like BudgIT, through initiatives such as #FollowTheMoney, expose contract inflation. SERAP’s litigations have compelled some asset declarations. Digital platforms like Tracka enable public monitoring. Judicial interventions offer glimmers of hope.

Structural reforms are essential. First, the relevant laws should be amended to grant anti-corruption agencies independent funding, fixed tenures, and prosecutorial autonomy. There should be mandatory, real-time implementation of budget portals with AI-driven procurement audits. The National Assembly’s emoluments should be reduced by up to 50 per cent, with pay linked to measurable oversight performance.

Performance bonds should also be introduced for elected officials, requiring verifiable deliverables with financial penalties for non-compliance, enforced by an independent tribunal. Citizen-led audit programmes, incentivised by tax credits, should verify projects at the community level. Nigerians must demand these changes through sustained civic actions—petitions, litigations, and voter accountability. The #EndSARS movement demonstrated the power of collective resolve.

Governance without accountability lacks legitimacy. It breeds distrust, entrenches inequality, and stalls development. Nigeria cannot advance until leaders are held to account—consistently and without exception.

The responsibility rests with the people.