About Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2004 to promote transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors through human rights.

In a country where systemic corruption and the resulting poverty, inequality and discrimination deprive many Nigerians of dignity and freedom to explore ways towards development and prosperity, SERAP seeks to promote the inalienable economic and social rights of the citizens to housing, education, health, food, work and an adequate standard of living. We work to hold government and public officials at the local, state and federal levels accountable for acts of corruption and socio-economic rights violations.

In Nigeria, economic and social rights are generally deemed impossible to enforce legally. SERAP seeks to demonstrate that those rights are well established in international law, and to promote their constitutionalization and enforcement nationally.
SERAP also brings petitions before regional and international bodies that monitor state compliance with economic and social rights.

SERAP’s work is divided into three program areas:
1, The Research & Publications program
2, The Monitoring & Advocacy program
3, The Education & Awareness program.

In the absence of reliable data on socio-economic conditions of people, SERAP’s Research & Publications program focuses on analysing laws, institutions and practices facilitating corruption and contributing to the violations of economic and social rights.

Research is also vital for our monitoring and advocacy efforts. Our Monitoring & Advocacy program combines the strategy of publicity, lobbying, litigation, legal procedures and reforms; grass-root mobilization and campaigns; to demand accountability from government with respect to economic and social rights violations and non-enforcement of anti-corruption laws and standards.

Our Education & Awareness program seeks to raise public awareness through conferences, seminars, and through engaging in media and publicity activities-practical guides and educational materials on the promotion of socio-economic rights and existing laws pertaining to corruption and the underlying issues they address.

Through its "Join up" to the Stop Corruption Campaigns Network, the Education & Awareness program mobilizes the public to send emails and letters to their local, state and federal government officials to ask questions regarding the spending of public resources; to put pressure on them to commit to greater transparency and accountability; and to work to improve the socio-economic conditions of people.