A civil society group, Yiaga Africa, in collaboration with Open Society Foundations, has established an Enugu North Local Government People’s Assembly, a platform to amplify the voices of the people at the local level in local governance.
Addressing participants at the training workshop, the Program Officer, Yiaga Africa, Olaniyan Sanusi, explained the essence of the People’s Assembly. He said that the Assembly will allow people to convene under a non-partisan platform to deliberate on issues affecting their communities, debate the issues, and agree on priority matters to engage the local government officials. He also urged Nigerians not to give up on democracy, despite its inadequacies.
No fewer than five persons were selected to lead the team of sound minds to kick-start the first People’s Assembly in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State to improve grassroots governance in Enugu.
Meanwhile, a senior program officer, Yiaga Africa, Antonia Onda, in legitimizing the People’s Assembly, explained that officials of the local government can participate in the People’s Assembly meetings to provide leadership and ensure major local priority issues are properly addressed. She insisted that regardless of its challenges, democracy remains the best form of government for Nigeria.
She itemized the processes for hosting an effective People’s Assembly at the Local Government level to include planning and preparation, participant mobilization, facilitation, and moderation, among others, as part of Yiaga Africa’s efforts to entrench the culture of deliberative democracy in Nigeria.
She added that the essence of the forum was to have effective interactions, deliberations, and debates on the needs of the people at the grassroots level.
She said the People’s Assembly is expected to kick-start activities at the Enugu North Local Government regardless of all the challenges.
“What we are trying to promote