Citizens’ Gavel Foundation For Social Justice
Citizens' Gavel Foundation For Social Justice
Sector Portfolios
- Kusasa (Technology)
Focus Areas
- Technology and Digital Futures
- Human Rights
- Gender Equity
Cohort 05 (2026)
- West Africa
- Nigeria
An elderly woman had saved with a bank for years. When the time came to withdraw her investment, the bank refused to pay. The bank hired lawyers, and those lawyers, instructed to delay the case by any means necessary, filed preliminary objections that ran out the clock. One of those lawyers was Nelson Olanipekun. He left private practice and built Citizens’ Gavel: an organization that uses technology to get justice to people faster than Nigeria's overburdened courts ever could on their own.
Citizens’ Gavel's Podus AI platform combines artificial intelligence with human legal expertise to deliver instant, free legal guidance tailored to local laws and available in plain and local languages. With more than 35,000 users and over 6,500 legal interventions, the platform helps people navigate land disputes, employment conflicts, police brutality, domestic violence, and financial disagreements through interactions that are fast, free, and built for ordinary people.
Partner Impact
REPORTS
Leadership Highlight
Nelson Olanipekun
Executive Director
Nelson Olanipekun is a lawyer, social entrepreneur, and technology innovator focused on expanding access to justice through digital solutions. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Citizens’ Gavel, a civic technology organisation that leverages law, technology, and citizen engagement to improve access to justice and strengthen accountability systems. With over a decade of experience in legal advocacy, public interest litigation, and social innovation, Nelson has led initiatives that have provided legal assistance to thousands of individuals and advanced justice sector reforms across Nigeria.
Under his leadership, Citizens’ Gavel has developed technology-driven platforms that help people understand their rights, access legal information, and connect with legal support services. Nelson is also the founder of Podus AI, an artificial intelligence-powered legal assistance platform designed to simplify access to legal information and services. Through his work, he has championed the use of emerging technologies to bridge justice gaps and empower underserved communities. His contributions to social impact and innovation have earned recognition from international organisations, and he continues to advocate for inclusive, technology-enabled approaches to justice and governance.
