Shrinking Nigeria’s Civic Space : USAID steps in …Open and safe civic spaces serve as unique havens for citizens from diverse backgrounds to build required competences to participate in conversations around nation building. 3 min read With rising allegations of incessant harassments, arrests and sometimes ‘abductions’ of holders of opposing views to state-backed positions, Nigeria’s human rights record in the recent time isn’t attractive to many social commentators. The violent attack of protesting workers by those described as hoodlums in Kaduna State recently is one of the many instances to back their claims that the civic space is closing in on Nigerians.