💼 Cases

On 13 September 2019, Oluseun "Seun" Onigbinde — co-founder of BudgIT, Nigeria's foremost civic technology and anti-corruption watchdog — was appointed Technical Adviser to the Buhari administration: the very government BudgIT had spent years exposing. Simultaneously, he deactivated his Twitter account. Three days later he resigned under intense pressure from all sides.

This case explores the fundamental tension between civic activism and institutional engagement: when does accepting a government role strengthen accountability from within — and when does it fatally undermine the independence that makes watchdog work credible?

From a two-person team funded by a US$20,000 seed grant, BudgIT grew into Nigeria's leading civic technology organisation — reaching close to 5 million Nigerians. Its secret weapon: turning impenetrable government budget documents into viral infographics and data-backed "mind bombs" that made corruption undeniable and indefensible.

This case examines BudgIT's four-pillar model — simplified budget access, project monitoring via the Tracka platform, accountability advocacy, and institutional engagement — and the strategic choices behind one of Africa's most influential social impact organisations.