Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said
\nthat it high time the National Assembly publicly answered questions about
\nits activities and funding.<\/p>\n
A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, “Permit me to observe that this conference with the theme: \u201cBridging the “There can be no effective representation if an atmosphere of distrust and “This roundtable is particularly important because there is a yawning gap “It seems to us that over the years the legislature has adopted the policy “This roundtable should therefore discuss and recommend the ways and means “The legislature is often misunderstood because its role is unappreciated. “Elected representatives like those in the National Assembly must also “The House of Representatives – in its legislative agenda – committed 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nTuraki Hassan, said the speaker made the remark\u00a0 on Friday<\/span><\/span> at a roundtable
\nconference on Civil Societies and Development Partners organised by the
\nHouse Committee on Civil Societies and Development Partners in
\ncollaboration with Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and Department
\nfor International Development (DFID) in Abuja.<\/p>\n
\ngap between elected representatives and their constituents\u201d is timely and
\napt. It comes at a period when constituents of parliamentarians are
\nincreasing interest in the activities of public officials, especially the
\nperformance of their elected representatives. It is also coming at a time
\nin our nation when there is a genuine misunderstanding of the duties,
\nresponsibilities and activities of elected representatives and their
\ndesire to attract projects and services back to their constituencies, by
\nway of constituency intervention projects.”<\/p>\n
\nsuspicion exists as to the intentions and rationale for the actions of
\nelected persons. The desire of elected representatives to make an impact
\nin their constituencies is borne out of the need for service. No elected
\nperson worth his salt would be satisfied if he is unable to point out at
\nthe end of the day, what he has been able to accomplish within the period
\nof his mandate.”<\/p>\n
\nbetween the activities of representatives and the recipients of his
\nservices. To bridge this gap, greater effort should be made in
\ncommunicating effectively the activities of elected representatives. We
\nshould have regular town hall meetings, regular consultative processes and
\nregular media engagement, if this problem is to be solved. Time has also
\ncome for democratic institutions like the National Assembly to communicate
\nbetter, its processes and activities to the public. Time has come for the
\nNational Assembly to publicly answer any questions relating to its
\nactivities and funding.”<\/p>\n
\nof non-response when its activities are called to question. Most often, a
\nsimple explanation is what is required but when none is forthcoming,
\nmischief makers, ignorant and misinformed pundits are left to fill the
\npublic space with lies, falsehood and misinformation.”<\/p>\n
\nof bridging the gap between parliament and the citizenry. The legislature
\nis the most maligned arm of government even though it works very hard to
\nfulfill its constitutional mandate.”<\/p>\n
\nThe work of the legislature is mainly intangible but the public hunger and
\nmeasure of performance relates to tangible things. If a legislator works
\non a bill and gets it passed, the constituent may not take note; if a
\nlegislator speaks \u201cbig Grammar\u201d and makes meaningful contributions in
\nplenary or committee, it is hardly noticed by constituents. It therefore
\nbehooves on the media and Civil Society Organisations to step up the work
\nof information dissemination and informed appraisal of activities of
\nelected representatives.”<\/p>\n
\ninstitutionalise co-operation, consultation and involvement of CSO\u2019s in
\nparliamentary activities such as oversight, public hearings, constituency
\nactivities and committee functions.”<\/p>\n
\nitself to institutionalizing mechanisms that will facilitate more
\neffective engagement with various stakeholders including constituents and
\nCivil Society Organisations (CSOs). It is time to activate this
\ncommitment.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"