As part of our efforts to entrench the culture of deliberative democracy in Nigeria, Yiaga Africa has launched the People’s Assembly in Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State and Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State. The People’s Assembly, which is supported by the Open Society Foundations, is a form of deliberative democracy fashioned to promote public deliberations at the local government level, amplify citizens’ voices on policies in their community, and inspire confidence in democracy.
These Assemblies serve as platforms for citizens and elected local government representatives to engage in fair and reasonable discussions and debates, all aimed at securing the public good and instilling confidence in the democratic process. It is expected that through this process, there will be improved and more effective decision-making and information sharing in the local government area.
The inauguration of the People’s Assembly in Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area was held on 9th of July, and it brought together elected local government representatives, including the vice-chairman and secretary of the local government council, and citizens’ groups.
In his opening remarks, Yiaga Africa’s Programme Officer, Olaniyan Sanusi, provided participants with a background on the People’s Assembly and emphasised its potential role in supporting the government by providing sound judgements and reflecting citizens’ viewpoints.
“What we are trying to promote here is a culture of public deliberation whereby citizens can contribute and influence the decision-making process at the local council level,” he said.
He highlighted that the People’s Assembly seeks to amplify citizens’ voices on policies and pain points in their community.
Also speaking at the inauguration, the Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Youth Development, Olu-Ajayi Maxwell spoke of the state government’s commitment to ensuring that governance is well-rooted at the local level. He emphasised that Governor Biodun Oyebanji had given council chairmen and other executives the power to discharge their official duties without hassles through inclusiveness and grassroots involvement in governance, and reassured the Assembly of the government’s support.
The inauguration was an opportunity for stakeholders to identify key issues in their respective areas which should be fixed by the local authority. Some of these issues included poor road network, non-availability of public toilets, and shortage of primary health care centres, among others.
The participants also nominated persons from amongst them to lead the assembly, with the mandate of reaching out to all groups within the local government area, such as market women, artisans, and residents, and officials of the local government council, for regular deliberations and interactions regarding the needs of the people.
In Ibadan South-West, the participants included local government representatives such as the chairman of the local government area and representatives from various citizens’ groups including market unions and residents’ associations.
The Senior Programme Officer, Yiaga Africa, Anthonia Onda, who opened the event, said that the People’s Assembly is necessitated by the need for a people-driven democracy that would contribute to Africa’s development.
“After the 2023 elections, we saw the need for citizens to be more engaged in governance processes across the country, and we came up with this citizen engagement project,” she said.
She emphasised that the People’s Assembly was a part of initiatives by Yiaga Africa to increase citizens’ participation in Nigeria’s democratic process by promoting a culture of public deliberation by allowing citizens to contribute and influence decision making process at the local government level.
There were vibrant discussions at the inauguration, where the participants identified some challenges they were experiencing, as well as highlighting ways that the local government could resolve these challenges and how to judiciously use it to interface with the local government in deliberating on crucial issues.
In his reaction to some of the issues raised, the Chairman of Ibadan South West Local Government, Mr Kehinde Adeyemi Akande, called for reorientation of the populace on environmental sanitation, and behavioural change through the mass media. He also emphasised harmonious working relationships between the government and the citizens that would promote inclusive governance.
It was first launched in 2022 and has been set up in eight local government areas of Lagos State, and three local government areas of Sokoto State.
