Improve citizen participation in bills, supplementary budget passage – Stakeholders to Kogi Assembly

Some stakeholders in Kogi State have called on the State House of Assembly to increase citizens’ participation in the passage of bills to reflect the aspirations of the people.

The stakeholder also emphasised the importance of public hearings in the passage of laws that will better the lives of Kogi State citizens.

They made the call in Lokoja on Saturday during the bi-monthly meeting of the state-level advocacy and legislative engagement forum organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation in collaboration with Initiative for Grassroots Advancement in Nigeria, INGRA, with support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development of the UK International Development.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroots Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA), Hamza Aliyu, said the forum, which was inaugurated on November 2, 2024, had achieved more than 80 per cent of its mandate.

Aliyu, who was represented by the project officer of INGRA, Ikechukwu Mpama, said the forum had as one of its objectives to help increase the people’s awareness of constituency offices for legislators to enhance the functionality of the constituency offices, saying that their impacts are yet to be felt.

Aliyu said that the forum had carried out the project of public hearings, organising a constituency town hall meeting in each of the three senatorial districts and a special retreat for the state assembly legislators.

In his contribution, the Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflicts Resolution, CHRCH, Idris Miliki Abdul, charged CSOs in the state to be ready to work hand-in-hand with the Kogi State Assembly in organising public hearings.

“A situation where bills are passed within 24 hours was not good for the state. This is totally unacceptable. We must follow the required process for the passage of law in Kogi State.

“We should continue to advocate for public hearings, no matter the pressure from the executive arm. There is a need for follow-up because, without follow-up, sustainability will be impossible,” he stated.

Idris Ozovehe Muraina, Chairman, Kogi Non-Government Organisations Network, KONGONET, also frowned at the passage of the supplementary budget without input from the public.

He called for the engagement of the House to see if the public could have a say in the passage of supplementary budgets.

Muraina called on the CSOs to avail themselves of any window of opportunity for public engagement in the supplementary budget passage.

On his part, Aminu Oseni Okutepa, Executive Director, Lugard Youths Development Initiative, LYDEI, said: “We should engage not only the legislators but the executives to know when they want to go to the House with their supplementary budgets. This is democracy and everybody must be engaged.”