Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said
that it high time the National Assembly publicly answered questions about
its activities and funding.
A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs,
Turaki Hassan, said the speaker made the remark on Friday at a roundtable
conference on Civil Societies and Development Partners organised by the
House Committee on Civil Societies and Development Partners in
collaboration with Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and Department
for International Development (DFID) in Abuja.
“Permit me to observe that this conference with the theme: “Bridging the
gap between elected representatives and their constituents” is timely and
apt. It comes at a period when constituents of parliamentarians are
increasing interest in the activities of public officials, especially the
performance of their elected representatives. It is also coming at a time
in our nation when there is a genuine misunderstanding of the duties,
responsibilities and activities of elected representatives and their
desire to attract projects and services back to their constituencies, by
way of constituency intervention projects.”
“There can be no effective representation if an atmosphere of distrust and
suspicion exists as to the intentions and rationale for the actions of
elected persons. The desire of elected representatives to make an impact
in their constituencies is borne out of the need for service. No elected
person worth his salt would be satisfied if he is unable to point out at
the end of the day, what he has been able to accomplish within the period
of his mandate.”
“This roundtable is particularly important because there is a yawning gap
between the activities of representatives and the recipients of his
services. To bridge this gap, greater effort should be made in
communicating effectively the activities of elected representatives. We
should have regular town hall meetings, regular consultative processes and
regular media engagement, if this problem is to be solved. Time has also
come for democratic institutions like the National Assembly to communicate
better, its processes and activities to the public. Time has come for the
National Assembly to publicly answer any questions relating to its
activities and funding.”
“It seems to us that over the years the legislature has adopted the policy
of non-response when its activities are called to question. Most often, a
simple explanation is what is required but when none is forthcoming,
mischief makers, ignorant and misinformed pundits are left to fill the
public space with lies, falsehood and misinformation.”
“This roundtable should therefore discuss and recommend the ways and means
of bridging the gap between parliament and the citizenry. The legislature
is the most maligned arm of government even though it works very hard to
fulfill its constitutional mandate.”
“The legislature is often misunderstood because its role is unappreciated.
The work of the legislature is mainly intangible but the public hunger and
measure of performance relates to tangible things. If a legislator works
on a bill and gets it passed, the constituent may not take note; if a
legislator speaks “big Grammar” and makes meaningful contributions in
plenary or committee, it is hardly noticed by constituents. It therefore
behooves on the media and Civil Society Organisations to step up the work
of information dissemination and informed appraisal of activities of
elected representatives.”
“Elected representatives like those in the National Assembly must also
institutionalise co-operation, consultation and involvement of CSO’s in
parliamentary activities such as oversight, public hearings, constituency
activities and committee functions.”
“The House of Representatives – in its legislative agenda – committed
itself to institutionalizing mechanisms that will facilitate more
effective engagement with various stakeholders including constituents and
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). It is time to activate this
commitment.”