Media: The Nigerian Constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, however the government sometimes restricts their rights, according to both Freedom House 2011 and the US State Department 2010. The Nigerian press is independent and often criticises the government and exposes corruption cases; however, journalists are at times subjected to harassment, arrest and other forms of repression, especially when reporting on sensitive issues, such as corruption. A culture of impunity persists for crimes against journalists. There has been a worrying increase in violence against journalists both by the authorities and by civilians whose anger at journalists is based upon religious beliefs. The media have been also impaired by restrictions on access to information. A Freedom of Information Bill was introduced in 1999, but was only signed into law in May 2011. A number of laws prevented civil servants from imparting official facts and figures, especially the Official Secrets Act, which made an offence for civil servants to disseminate government information and for anyone to receive or produce such information. It is too early to assess whether the new Access to Information Law will have any positive effect. The private print press has actively reported corruption. However, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, this is changing as the private media becomes more biased and more of a public relations agency for different groups. Furthermore, Global Integrity 2010 reports that cases of cash-for-stories, where journalists are paid to write, abstain from writing or alter stories, are not unusual in Nigeria. Freedom House 2011 ranks Nigeria 110th out of 196 countries and describes the country's press environment as 'partly free', while the Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranks Nigeria 145th out of 178 countries.

Civil Society: The constitution guarantees freedom of assembly, association and religious freedom. However, according to Freedom House 2011 and several human rights organisations, these basic rights are not effectively upheld and protected in reality, and there have been several reports of abuses by authorities, especially during demonstrations organised by youth groups or in the Niger Delta. The Bertelsmann Foundation 2010 reports that civil society in Nigeria is weak and usually ignored by the political leadership. However, a generally positive trend is reported in the development of civil interest groups as well as civic support for democracy.

Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC): The ZCC is a network of over 50 CSOs campaigning against corruption in Nigeria. The ZCC is a partner in the 'Accountability Nigeria' coalition of public and private organisations working with transparency and accountability in Nigeria. The ZCC does advocacy work with legislators and government anti-corruption agencies on the need to domesticate and implement both the UNCAC and the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

Integrity: Integrity is a Nigerian non-profit anti-corruption NGO founded in 1995. It is working to empower and inform civil society in order to tackle corruption in Nigeria, and to coordinate efforts between public and private institutions in a national fight against corruption. Integrity has published several reports on good governance and is running programmes and projects aimed at promoting transparency and integrity. For example, it has been awarded a European Community grant to run a budget monitoring project in Nigeria aimed at promoting good governance, transparency and respect for the rule of law in budgetary matters.

Convention on Business Integrity (CBi): The CBi consists of Nigerian and foreign companies operating in Nigeria who have signed a Code of Business Integrity originally adopted in 1998. Members have to go through an accreditation process and adhere to values of corporate integrity and transparency. The CBi has an online toolkit that provides ‘how-to’ guide for businesses to achieve the CBi Standard and fully integrate a commitment against bribery and corruption within their business activities. Read more about the Nigerian CBi presented by a Business Fighting Corruption case study.

Transparency in Nigeria (TIN): TIN is a local chapter of the international anti-corruption NGO Transparency International. It was founded in 1994 to provide a forum for individuals and the public, as well as for private institutions to exchange ideas and share experiences and to take appropriate action towards reducing corruption.

Independent Advocacy Project (IAP): The IAP is an NGO working to promote transparency, accountability and good governance in Nigeria by building partnerships between individuals and organisations through information sharing. The IAP issues a monthly electronic newsletter, an in-depth quarterly report and specialised reports. It also produces the Nigerian Corruption Index (NCI) in order to empirically determine the degree of corruption in Nigeria.