From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Experts have urged the federal government to leverage social cohesion data to strengthen national policies and programmes, addressing critical development challenges and fostering national unity.
The call was made on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at a Capacity Building Workshop organised by the Africa Polling Institute (API), an independent, non-profit opinion research think-tank, in Abuja. The workshop, themed “The Use of Social Cohesion Data in Enhancing National Policies and Programmes and Promoting Effective Media Reportage,” was supported by the Ford Foundation.
Prof. Bell Ihua, Executive Director of API, emphasised that the workshop aimed to ensure Nigeria’s social cohesion data is actively utilised rather than ignored. He highlighted key findings from API’s nationwide research, identifying low trust in government, social justice issues, gender inequality, and insecurity as major barriers to development. “So it’s for us to make use of this data we share with the government so that the government can begin to do what it needs to do,” Ihua said.
He added: “We want the social cohesion data to permeate the society, such that public institutions are integrating it in their policy and programme planning, and media practitioners are engaging in socially cohesive news reportage. One of the first major findings API noted is the fact that citizens have very little trust for the government, governors, and public institutions. The second big issue we found is now that citizens are united in a shared struggle. You know, we didn’t used to have this before, but the data shows that citizens are united in shared struggles. We want the government to be aware because by being aware, they can now use this data for their policy and planning.”
Dr Soji Adeniyi, a member of API’s Board of Trustees, underscored the importance of a data-driven approach to social cohesion.
“The goal is for us to begin to tackle the issue of social cohesion from an understanding of data perspective. It’s not enough for us as a country to think that perception is everything. Perception has its place, and scientific data has its place. We’ve been gathering this data since 2019, and it has been changing year after year based on the perception of what is going on within the country. We felt it is time to start sharing this data so that those institutions that the government constitutionally has put together to address those challenges will rise up to the challenge,” he said.
Dr Steve Ogidan, CEO of Successory Nigeria Ltd, stressed the need for intentional inclusion of youths, women, and marginalised groups in policy-making, noting that performance-based budgeting could enhance social investment and cohesion.
“The government, in making use of social cohesion data, must be intentional in integrating youths, women, and the marginalised in society,” he said.
Participant Mrs Amina Zemo described the workshop as enlightening, emphasising the need for national cohesion and data-driven governance. “The government had to build the trust of the people, and with the use of accurate data, the government would find out actually what citizens need and give it to them,” she said.
The workshop attracted representatives from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Sports Commission (NSC), and other institutions.