In furtherance of its efforts to enhance civic participation, Yiaga Africa, with support from the Open Society Foundation, has officially launched the People’s Assembly in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The People’s Assembly is an initiative aimed at promoting civic participation and fostering dialogue between citizens, groups, and local government executives. It provided a platform for artisans, market women, youths, Persons with Disabilities and local government executives to discuss pressing community issues and strategize on effective engagement, while also enlightening participants on their roles in promoting good governance and delivering the dividends of democracy.
In her opening remarks, Anthonia Onda, Yiaga Africa’s Citizens Engagement Senior Programs Officer, described the event as timely given the ongoing calls for local government autonomy and the recent Supreme Court ruling on the matter. With several states preparing to host local government elections, she emphasized the importance of citizen involvement at the grassroots level, highlighting that the assembly offers a valuable opportunity for citizens’ voices to be heard in governance.
“Now more than ever, we need citizens to participate in local governance,” Onda stated. “Democracy thrives when the people engage with their government. The local government was specifically designed to bring governance closer to the community, and it is vital that citizens voice their concerns to influence policies that affect their lives,” she added.
Encouraging participants to shift from passive observers to active contributors in the democratic process, she reiterated the effectiveness of communicating grievances and lending voices to social issues.
“We must stop complaining to the wrong people and start channeling our concerns to the right offices. Your voice matters, and democracy only works when you participate,” she summated.
The assembly also featured a deliberative session led by Yiaga’s Programs Officer, Olaniyan Sanusi, who facilitated discussions on how citizens can effectively communicate their needs to the government while noting that the Peoples’ Assembly serves as an avenue to understand shared interests, prioritize needs, and make structured requests through representatives.
“The goal of the Peoples’ Assembly is to cultivate a culture of public deliberation and provide answers to key questions: How do we get the government to address our needs? How do we ensure our voices are heard?” Sanusi explained.
Participants engaged in constructive dialogue, identifying major community challenges and discussing potential solutions. They emphasized the importance of collaboration and accountability between citizens and local government officials.
A participant, Theophilus Tanko noted, “Creating an interactive forum where citizens can engage directly with their representatives is crucial. It is our responsibility to seek audiences with our leaders and hold them accountable.”
Rita Anyetu, another participant, lended her voice on the significance of local government in a democratic system.
“While there are Federal and State Governments, the Local Government is undeniably the closest to the people. They see our roads, our electricity supply, and understand our pain better, so we expect them to communicate our needs to higher authorities,” she stressed.
Responding to the concerns raised by participants, Mrs. Lucy Koche, a representative of the Bwari Area Council Executive Chairman, appreciated Yiaga Africa for instituting the assembly. She reinforced the need for continuous dialogue between citizens and officials and encouraged participants to actively engage in upcoming budget preparations to ensure community needs are reflected in the local government plans.
“This is a welcomed initiative by Yiaga Africa, and we are grateful for this reawakening. We have been reminded of our duties in governance, and I will relay your feedback to the Chairman and the Legislative arm of the Council. Soon, we’ll begin drafting the 2025 budget, and you are encouraged to be part of the budget hearing process. Engage with the government with the right motives, questions, and approach, and I believe the People Assembly will help us in this regard,” she charged.
A high point of the event was the nomination and selection of executives by members of the Peoples’ Assembly, who were tasked with ensuring that the assembly is representative of all interest groups within the Bwari Area Council.
A common consensus emerged: democracy is about the people, and their involvement is essential for a representative system to function effectively. Participants left the launch expressing optimism for a more engaged and responsive local government, united in the belief that together, they can affect meaningful change in their community.
With the launch of the first Peoples Assembly in the FCT, it joins existing ones in eight local government areas across three states, with the first one launched in 2022. The People’s Assembly is a type of deliberative democracy focused on strengthening grassroots democracy, and has been instrumental in increasing engagement between citizens and elected local government officials. It has also produced excellent results by enabling citizens to pinpoint their specific challenges and their local governments using that knowledge to deliver solutions.
