Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship (IGIC) – Rescue Nigeria

Nigerians marching through a city street waving the green-white-green national flag
Live · 25 Oct People's Parliament: Electing & Holding Leaders Accountable →

Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship

Nigeria won't fix itself. Informed citizens will.

Talk is cheap. Lamentation is useless. Join Nigerians who are learning how power works, holding leaders to account and working together for the common good.

Rescue Nigeria is now an arm of the Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship (IGIC). Why the new name →

What we are rescuing

A rich country filled with poor people is not an accident. It is a choice we can reverse.

At independence the world expected Nigeria to lead Africa. Six decades later, too many Nigerians are less prosperous, less healthy and less safe than they should be — while those who govern remain largely unaccountable.

We believe the missing ingredient is not another messiah. It is informed and demanding citizens who understand their rights, know what their representatives are doing, and act together — lawfully and relentlessly — until governance serves the people.

Read our story and mission
Nigerian community members seated together at a town-hall style meeting
Young Nigerian woman holding up the green and white flag of Nigeria

The reality we face

The numbers behind the frustration

Every statistic is a family. These are the conditions that citizens — not slogans — must change.

158/189Nigeria's rank on the UN Human Development IndexUNDP HDI, 2018 data
23%unemployment, with another 20% of the labour force underemployedWorld Bank Nigeria Overview, 2019
70%+of contested positions in the 2007 elections ended up at tribunalsElectoral petitions record
774local governments and 36 states that also receive federation funds — and must be watchedConstitution of Nigeria

How change happens

From informed to unstoppable in four steps

Our model is simple: good citizenship from ordinary people produces good leadership.

  1. Get informed

    Civic education, explainers and the People's Parliament help you understand how power, budgets and elections really work.

  2. Take the pledge

    Commit to six principles of good citizenship — starting with changing yourself first.

  3. Act together

    Sign petitions, join a local chapter, volunteer your skills and amplify credible messages.

  4. Hold power to account

    We track officials, publish the facts and pursue lawful action until promises become results.

Flagship programme

The People's Parliament: where citizens do the debating

A regular online assembly where Nigerians examine issues of national interest with credible panelists — and then question them directly.

  • Every session is open, free and non-partisan
  • Panelists are experts, not politicians looking for votes
  • Your questions shape the conversation

Latest campaigns

Demands we are pressing right now

A hand casting a ballot into a ballot box
Electoral integrity

Stop Court Democracy

Where an election is disputed, courts should order a fresh ballot — the final decision must always belong to voters.

See the campaign
Nigerian pupils seated at desks in a public school classroom
Public education

Fix Our Schools First

Public officials who send their children abroad at public expense should first fix the schools every other child attends.

Sign the petition
The Abuja city gate, gateway to Nigeria’s seat of government
Transparency

Publish Lawmakers' Pay

Every citizen has the right to know exactly what National and State Assembly members earn — and to demand it is reset to reasonable levels.

Add your voice

Voices from the Parliament

Why informed citizenship matters

The people are not subjects of the state; they are its lifeblood. Securing their lives and property, and advancing their welfare are not optional.
Prof. Babatunde OkeDepartment of Finance, University of Lagos · People's Parliament panelist
You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.
Shirley ChisholmThe words that inspired Rescue Nigeria
The test of leadership is not how well the rich are served, but whether the poor have power, water, roads, and dignity.
James A.G. AderojuArchitect, public policy analyst · People's Parliament panelist
Nigeria is a land of possibilities, but we need to articulate this in a way that sells Nigeria as the land of opportunities — which is true.
Muyiwa KayodeBranding expert, author and journalist · People's Parliament panelist
Leadership is produced, under our constitution, by citizens. When the citizenship is enriched, leadership is vibrant.
IGIC – Rescue NigeriaPress statement, August 2024

Your gift keeps citizens informed and leaders accountable.

We are funded by Nigerians who want better — not by politicians. Give any amount and see exactly how it is spent.

Answers

Questions Nigerians ask us

Quick answers about who we are and how we work.

Ask us something else

What is the Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship (IGIC)?

IGIC is a non-partisan Nigerian civil society organization that equips citizens with the knowledge, values and tools to demand competent, ethical and accountable leadership. It is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and is not affiliated to any political party.

Is Rescue Nigeria the same organization as IGIC?

Yes. Rescue Nigeria launched on 1 October 2020 and has always been registered as the Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship. Today Rescue Nigeria is the primary arm of IGIC — the public movement through which IGIC mobilises citizens.

How does IGIC improve government accountability in Nigeria?

We track and publicise the performance of elected officials, organise mass petitions, pursue strategic public-interest litigation, host the People's Parliament for open citizen debate, and publish civic education that explains how governance really works.

Who can join?

Every Nigerian at home or in the diaspora — and friends of Nigeria — who is willing to take the Common Good Pledge: to act with conscience, reject corrupt leadership and refuse tribalism.

Is IGIC a political party?

No. We do not field candidates or endorse parties. We build informed citizens so that every party is forced to compete on competence, integrity and results.