Baseline Assessment
Read the Findings of the National Baseline Assessment – Promoting Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights in Nigeria.
Nigeria In-Country Working Group
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and one of the continent’s largest economies. The country is a major global producer of oil and gas, with the petroleum sector (over 80%) playing a central role in government revenues. Nigeria also has significant mining potential and a large agricultural sector. However, the management of natural resources has long been associated with complex security, governance, and human rights challenges, particularly in regions where extractive activities intersect with local communities and public security forces.
Created in 2017, the Nigeria In-Country Working Group (ICWG) promotes the implementation of the VPSHR through advocacy, stakeholder engagement, awareness campaigns, and training activities. The working group brings together representatives from civil society, government institutions, and companies to strengthen understanding and application of the Voluntary Principles across Nigeria’s natural resource sectors.
Security and Human Rights Context in Nigeria
Nigeria faces a range of security challenges linked to organized crime, resource governance, community conflict, and broader socio-economic pressures. In resource-producing regions, tensions between communities, private security companies, and public security forces have at times led to human rights concerns, reinforcing the need for improved accountability and stronger frameworks guiding security arrangements.
National institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission have been engaged in dialogue with stakeholders to strengthen the protection of rights in extractive industry contexts and to promote international standards.
In-Country Working Group Activities
In-Country Working Group Activities
Since its creation, the Nigeria ICWG has worked to promote awareness and adoption of the Voluntary Principles through coordination meetings, advocacy initiatives, multi-stakeholder dialogues, assessment and training programs for key stakeholders.
The Nigeria Working Group continues to implement a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening awareness and implementation of the Voluntary Principles across the country.
Working group members have conducted community engagement and awareness programs in mining and oil-producing regions, helping local communities better understand human rights protections and responsible resource governance practices. These initiatives have also addressed issues such as environmental impacts, community grievances, and the protection of women and children in extractive regions.
Through collaboration with community organizations and industry stakeholders, the working group has supported capacity-building activities for Security actors, Government agencies , and Community leaders, promoting responsible security practices and encouraging constructive dialogue between communities, companies, and security providers.
The ICWG has also engaged with law enforcement authorities, including advocacy visits to police leadership in several states to promote awareness of the Voluntary Principles, NHRC (National Human Rights Commission), MoJ (Ministry of Justice), MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and explore opportunities for training public and private security personnel.
Regional Working Groups
Following the national baseline assessment, the Nigeria Working Group (NWG) established Regional Working Groups (RWGs) in Northern and Southern Nigeria to strengthen regional coordination, awareness, and implementation of the Voluntary Principles, and to address human rights and security concerns within the extractive sectors, while expanding into other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and logistics. The process is coordinated by the National Working Group Secretariat (LITE-Africa), together with the Northern Regional Coordinator (MotherHen Development Foundation) and the Southern Regional Coordinators (FOCONE and CEHRD). The RWGs held their first quarterly coordination meeting in May of 2026.
Contacts
Nigeria ICWG Secretariat: LITE-Africa-Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment
Name: Joel Bisina
Email: office@lite-africa.org, joel@lite-africa.org
Regional Working Group
Email: staff@lite-africa.org
Northern Region Coordinator:
Dr. Erisa Danladi
Motherhen Development Foundation, Gombe State, Nigeria
Southern Region Coordinator:
Mr. Patrick Chiekwe
FOCONE, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria