By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on Kogi State Government to increase resource allocations to the state House of Assembly to enable it perform its constitutional responsibilities effectively.
The call was made in a Communique issued at the end of a two-day Retreat For State Legislators and Civil Society on “Participatory and Inclusive Governance Through Effective Constituency Offices” in Lokoja.
The retreat was organized by Initiative For Grassroot Advancement In Nigeria (INGRA) in collaboration with Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
In the Communique signed by Mr Hamza Aliyu, Executive Director, INGRA, the CSOs identified some of the challenges limiting effective performance of the House as weak institutional capacity, low resource allocations and deficit in public trust.
They also observed that some of the Standing Committees of the House such as the public petitions and Public Accounts committees were not as effective as they should be.
The Communique recommended a reduction in the budgetary allocation to the Administration sector to free up funds for other social sectors such as Education, Health, Environment, Agriculture and to as well, cater for issues that affect vulnerable citizens.
It urged the House of Assembly to establish a Civil Society Desk to improve their engagement and access to information on the activities of the House.
“It will also enhance the functionalities of the Constituency offices and increase participation and engagement of citizens in state governance processes”, the Communique added.
The Communique reiterated the need for CSOs to support the House standing Committees for improvement in their functions especially, those that provide transparency in public expenditure and provide a grievance address mechanism.
The Communique also called for deliberate actions aimed at enhancing the election of more women into the House of Assembly as part of efforts to critically address issues of gender imbalance and underrepresentation in governance.
The CSOs reiterated the need for the creation of a website for the House of Assembly to archive the processes, motions and documentation among other functions urging that such should be developed for the Assembly as a matter of urgency.
They also hinted that there was urgent need to begin amendments of the Child rights Law, Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law and the Disability Office Law to address gaps in their implementation.
The two-Day Retreat featured Paper Presentations on Roles of the Legislature in Democracy; Roles of Citizens in Accountability in Governance; Overview of the 2023 Kogi State Budget and Budgeting process with plenary discussions on implementation challenges.
The Retreat was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the leadership and members of Kogi State House of Assembly and the Civil Society to engender and foster collaborative initiatives for improved representation of citizens by the elected lawmakers.
The Retreat had in attendance the House Speaker, all members, all Secretaries/Clerks of the House Standing Committees, members of the Kogi State Civil Society Situation Room, select CSOs from the three Senatorial Districts and the Media. (Ends)