Strengthening Enabling Environment for Citizens and CSOs (NG0043)

Brief Description of Commitment: This commitment will ensure that citizens and citizen organizations can inform and influence government policies and actions through their freedom to associate, assemble and express themselves freely thereby encouraging constant partnership between the public, private and third sector.

General Problem / Challenge Addressed by the Commitment: Freedom of association, assembly and expression while moderate in Nigeria, citizens are beginning to witness increased attacks on journalists, bloggers, online influencers and human rights defenders who voice concern or report government failings or are against policies, failure to respect citizens' rights to protests and assemblies and proposals on civil society regulatory frameworks/laws/regulations capable of creating barriers to independent and efficient operation of formal civil society organizations. This is worsened by the increasing and unregulated use of digital surveillance technologies by federal and state governments to invade citizens' privacy and spy on human rights defenders.

Specific OGP Issue(s) in Focus: 1. Low level of citizens voices in the policy making process. 2. Weak safeguards against undue arrest of citizens and non-state actors. 3. Weak citizens and civil society engagement at all levels of government decision-making. 4. Weak civil society-government relationship. 5. Inadequate attention to vulnerable citizens 6. Weak/ non-engagement of host communities, especially by extractive corporations/ industries (Business and human Rights). 7. Inadequate attention to issues of terrorism and insurgency.

Rationale for the Commitment: Many of the OGP commitments will benefit from an open civic space for its success, for example opening government systems and processes, curbing corruption and illicit flows cannot be felt without active citizens, media and nonstate actors that can use data and information to hold governments accountable. Citizens cannot provide information to the government on its policies and programmes where the fear of arrest, gagging and restrictions exists on their ability to speak freely and openly. The public cannot voice or discuss public interest issues freely when there are restrictions on their ability to assemble and / or protest.

Main Objective: To ensure that citizens and citizen organizations can freely assemble, associate and express their opinions on government policies and programmes, and other issues that affect their livelihood and well-being. Anticipated Impact: Improved citizens participation and enabling the environment for advocacy, including working collectively towards open and responsive government, guaranteed protection of basic civil liberties such as freedom of association, assembly and expression.

Expected Outcomes | Milestones (Performance Indicators)

1. An enabling environment for citizens and citizen organizations to associate and assemble to influence and inform public policy. | 1. Ranking of Nigeria in the CIVICUS civic space index 2. Freedom House Report on Press Freedom

2. Everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion, political or other opinion, state or status is guaranteed the right to freely express their opinion on government policies and programmes. | 1. Percentage of citizens signifying the ability to express themselves without fear of arrest or self-censorship. 2. Citizen's perception index on citizens participation in governance

3. Safeguards against undue supervision of CSOs provided including impartial, apolitical and consistent application of laws and regulations that affect CSOs. | Percentage of civil society organizations, especially rights-based organizations, carrying out work without undue interference or impartial application of laws and regulations affecting CSOs.

Planned Activities (Start Date - End Date | Expected Output(s) | Output Indicator(s))

1. Work with regulators such as CAC, FIRS and SCUML to set clear registration requirement, processes and timelines for CSOs based on various existing laws. (January 2023 - December 2024 | Comprehensive guidance document on CSO registration and the strict time-line for registrations produced. | 1. Number of regulators with clear registration requirement and guideline for CSOs on their website. 2. Number of regulators meeting up the average processing time of registering new CSOs)

2. Work with NGOs and Tax Justice Governance Platform to deploy trainings using the CSO self-regulatory framework for nonprofits on the laws and regulations guiding their operations. (January 2023 - December 2024 | Knowledge and institutionalization of the use of CSO selfregulatory frame works of non-profits including laws and regulations guiding their operations | 1. Number of regulators with clear registration requirement and guideline for CSOs on their website. 2. Number of regulators meeting up the average processing time of registering new CSOs)

3. Establish strategy for the development of an effective CSOs-Government relationship. (January 2023 - December 2024 | A Clear actionable, costed and funded national strategy on CSO-Government relationship established. | Number of strategies developed for effective CSO-Government relationship)

4. Work with the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to develop a guide on peaceful protests and assembly that is in line with international conventions like the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Right s (ACPHR) legal standards. (January 2023 - December 2024 | A Comprehensive guidance on peaceful protest and use of minimal force by the police | 1. Developed guide on peaceful protests and assembly that is in line with International standards like ACPHR. 2. Number of people downloading the online guide on peaceful protests and use of minimal force by the police)

5. Pass the Bill for an Act to Repeal the Police Service Commission Act and Enact the Police Service Commission Bill, 2020. (January 2023 - December 2024 | Passage of an Act of parliament, signed by the president to strengthen the Commission to be more functional in its operations and for related matters. | Number of Bills to repeal the Police Service Commission Act passed by the National Assembly)

6. Police Service Commission (PSC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and their Non-State Actors partners to hold a quarterly zonal 'Citizen-Police Dialogue. (January 2023 - December 2024 | A compilation of complaints, feedback and recommendation from citizens, nonstate actor groups and the police on improving policing and police-citizens relations in Nigeria addressed | Number of quarterly zonal citizenpolice dialogue held by the PSC, NHRC, NOA and other Non-State Actors Number of meetings reports produced.)

7. Joint PSC/CSO led quarterly select police station visitation to ascertain the condition of the station, adherence to Standard Operating Procedure and conditions of suspects held in the station. (January 2023 - December 2024 | A fact-finding report on the state of police stations and their adherence to SOPs produced. | 1. Number of police stations adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures 2. Number of reports produced showing the remedial actions taken to ensure that defaulting police stations adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures)

8. Conduct a legal and policy gap analysis on digital surveillance in Nigeria and Produce/ disseminate a “National Gap Analysis and Policy Advisory on Regulation of Surveillance Technologies in Nigeria”. (January 2023 - December 2024 | 1. Number of copies of Gap Analysis report downloaded/disseminated via physical and online channels 2. Number of media events/reports based on the Gap Analysis. | Increased awareness of citizens on human rights implications of Digital Surveillance)

9. Work with the Office of the National Security Adviser, National Human Rights Commission, NOA etc to hold at least two Multi-stakeholder Dialogues on Digital Surveillance and Civic Space in Nigeria. (January 2023 - December 2024 | 1. Number of MultiStakeholder Dialogues held annually 2. Number of high-level security officials represented at Dialogues. 3. Number of participants at Dialogue representing other key interest groups in surveillance tech 4. Number of traditional media and social media exposures as a result of the Dialogues. | High-level commitments adopted towards regulating surveillance tech in Nigeria. Imposition of import restrictions on surveillance technologies in Nigeria.)

Source(s) of Funding: Federal Government Budget and Donor Agencies

Action Plan Review

Commitment 12. Civic space for citizens organisations, human rights defenders and media can express themselves and participate in policy-making process without fear