A Journey of Civic Leadership and Community Empowerment
Mu’azu Alhaji Modu, widely known as Village Boy, has carved a unique path in Nigeria’s civic leadership landscape. After obtaining a National Diploma (ND), Higher National Diploma (HND), and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science from the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, he made a bold decision to forgo a lucrative job at Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) in favor of community service and accountability.
This choice marked the beginning of his journey into civic engagement, which has since evolved into a powerful movement across Nigeria. As a Mandela Washington Fellow, Mu’azu committed himself to building the next generation of civic leaders through the Youth Civic Engagement Academy, an initiative launched in 2023. The academy empowers young people nationwide to become active drivers of change in their communities.
His passion for change also led to the creation of the Spotlight Transparency and Accountability Initiative (ST and A), a non-profit organization focused on preventing corruption, ensuring effective resource allocation, and promoting trust in public institutions.
The Roots of Civic Activism
Mu’azu’s journey into civic leadership began in 2016 while pursuing his Postgraduate Diploma at ATBU, Bauchi. He became involved with the FollowTheMoney movement, founded by Hamzat B. Lawal. A few months later, he was offered a bank job but chose activism instead.
“I asked myself if I actually wanted the job or the money. I realized that I didn’t want the money, I wanted to impact the lives of others,” he said. This decision marked the start of his journey in civic leadership.
The movement soon expanded, and he became one of the first three people selected to run a state chapter in 2017. The group gained recognition for asking critical questions about governance in Yobe, and eventually, eight government agencies began collaborating with FollowTheMoney to promote transparency and accountability.
Leveraging Technology for Transparency
With a background in computer science, Mu’azu ensured all their activities were properly documented and published online. This commitment to transparency opened more opportunities, including his selection as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2018.
At a workshop for community leaders, he shared, “I applied for a Mandela Fellowship; luckily for me, I was selected in the second year of my career, in 2018. I participated in a six-week-long programme in the United States. Because of the proper and constant documentation of what we do, the impact and the human angle stories helped me a lot in terms of getting these kinds of opportunities.”
On his return, he was encouraged by mentors to establish his own organization. He rose to become North-East regional lead, and later Country Director of FollowTheMoney in Nigeria. In 2019, he incorporated Spotlight for Transparency and Accountability Initiative (ST and A) as an independent trustee.
Expanding Impact Through the Youth Civic Engagement Academy
The African Youth Charter defines youth as individuals between 15 and 35. Now at the edge of that age bracket, Mu’azu says his mission is to empower others.
“At FollowTheMoney and Spotlight for Transparency and Accountability Initiative (ST and A), something always comes to my mind. We are aging; and as young people, we ought to do things right now, because it is impossible to continue like this forever,” he said.
This concern inspired the Youth Civic Engagement Academy, launched in 2023 with 12 members across Yobe State. The initiative provided boot camp training, mentorship from UK-based Leadership Platform, and technical support from experts across sectors. Participants also received small grants to implement community projects.
The program expanded to 20 fellows in 2024, and is now being scaled across the North-East, with plans to extend nationwide.
Through the academy, fellows have tackled issues in education, public health, environmental sustainability, gender-based violence, and civic engagement. Mu’azu said the first cohort reached about 50,000 people, while the second directly reached 200,000, and indirectly impacted over 500,000.
Measuring Success Through the Next Generation
Despite numerous awards and recognition, Mu’azu believes the real success will be measured by the next generation of leaders.
“These kinds of recognitions that we received, beyond the impact that we are making, are really encouraging us to do more but no matter how well you think you are doing it, you cannot do it forever. So we are looking at building the next generation to take over from us because in the next two or three years, we might be doing other things.”
He added that his vision is to use technology, including artificial intelligence, to strengthen democratic governance. “The legacy that I want to leave is to bring in people that are better than I am to continue doing the work, and I’m confident that the vision is already here.”
Transformative Experiences from Graduates
Graduates of the academy testify to its impact. Abubakar Musa Waziri, a member of the first cohort, said: “The Academy has equipped me with knowledge that for years I have been looking for but I did not get. Now, I understand what local government is all about.”
Similarly, Aisha Alhaji Abba, a sociology graduate with a passion for civic engagement and humanitarian work, described her experience as transformative. “After six months of training at the Youth Civic Engagement Academy, I was given a mini-grant to do a project. So, I engaged with stakeholders and developed a step-down training for more than 20 young people, where we talked about the process of demanding accountability within the Almajiri system of education.”
