BY SAM OTUONYE
The federal government has launched a digital application that would enable citizens participate in the governance and policy making process of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to foster transparency and accountability.
The 2-day interactive forum brought together over 70 stakeholders, including government officials, civil
society actors, and citizens, aimed to move from data to action on service delivery performance, began on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Abuja.
The Special Adviser to the President on policy and coordination and Head, Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRCDU), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, in her keynote speech stated that the App was a strategic step towards empowering ordinary citizens to raise observations, concerns, or commendations, about government activities, with timely feedback.
“This innovative digital tool empowers ordinary Nigerians to monitor and provide direct feedback on the delivery of government projects and ministerial performance. By giving citizens a voice and a platform to report observations, concerns, or commendations, the app serves as a vital feedback loop, fostering greater accountability from public officials and enhancing the transparency of government operations. Its deployment represents a significant step towards demystifying governance processes and building trust between the government and the citizenry.”
The event, organised by CRDCU in collaboration with Accountability Lab Nigeria, Open Government Partnership Nigeria, and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (FCDO-PACE), drew participants from government ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA), Civil Society Organisations, the media and People living with disabilities.
The Special Adviser said that the goal the government was to ensure a top-down reporting model where citizens can file complaints and monitor progress directly from their devices, adding, “To further this accessibility, I am pleased to note that the CDT is currently available for download on the Google Play Store, and we are working diligently to ensure it is available on the iOS App Store shortly to reach even more users.”
She noted that as important as building the infrastructure,but sustaining the awareness beyond media hype but with aggressive public education campaign was inevitable.
“While we have built the infrastructure for transparency, we are aware that a significant hurdle remains, i.e., sustained awareness of the Citizens Delivery Tracker. Although the initial launch of the CDT was met with a surge of media attention, that momentum has not yet translated into a permanent fixture of our civic consciousness. Today, we face a reality in which many of our fellow citizens are either unaware that this tool exists or unsure how to navigate its interface to file a report. We are very candid about our progress.
“We must bridge this gap. Without continuous, aggressive public education campaigns, the Tracker risks becoming a ‘niche tool’, accessible only to the highly informed. Our vision is far more ambitious.
“We want CDT to be a mass-market instrument for accountability. The public must understand not just how to use the platform, but why it matters: that every piece of data they provide is a direct link to the Presidency, utilised specifically to hold Ministers and Permanent Secretaries accountable to their performance bonds. Transparency is only as powerful as the number of people who exercise it.”
Usman explained that CRDCU was adopting a phased implementation approach to transform the CDT into a robust and trusted instrument, noting that in the short term the platform would be optimised for the devices most Nigerians use while simplifying the feedback process to reduce abandonment rates.
“We are also prioritising security by enforcing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and publishing a plain-language privacy statement to build user trust,” she added.
To achieve the objectives of the CDT, CRCDU would partner with Accountability Lab Nigeria to conduct an independent assessment of the App in order to understand the structural barriers and awareness gaps and close them.
In a goodwill message, the Federal Team Lead, Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), Dr. Usman Abu stressed the importance of the initiative and its impact on citizens-government trust and confidence building towards achieving a transparent and accountable Nigeria.
Similarly, the Co-Chair OGP Nigeria, Mrs Nma Nnaobi presented some field survey reports that aided the discourse.
