CSOs to evaluate performance of NASS members, committees

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Productive Partnerships with the National Assembly, on Monday, unveiled plans to ensure that federal lawmakers are accountable to the electorates in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.

Speaking on the initiative at a press briefing held in Abuja, the Executive Director, OrderPaper, Mr Oke Epia, reiterated the CSOs toward the provision of incentives to performing lawmakers and Committees.

Under the arrangement, the CSOs are expected to advance the stewardship appraisals toward cultivating and sustaining performance-driven and reform-minded legislators who can partner with civil society on critical governance themes; creating performance thresholds for legislators and the legislature in subsequent assemblies as well as advancing legislative strengthening and accountability.

He said: “We acknowledge that for you to raise all of these things to mean you are also concerned about the lack or insufficient accountability in the legislature that is why we have said to you that this is a call for the partnership for increased collaboration because this is not just for us as CSOs because you are also in the Civil Society, a Non-State Actor is invariably in the civil society but this is a lot of contributions by the Non-State Actors and the Civil Society.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

“When we speak of incentives the idea is not really to give to them what they already have. Currently, civil society generally speaking offer a lot of incentives to the legislature in terms of capacity building even resourcing to the committee even resourcing individual lawmaker, not in terms of naira and kobo this is a lot of contributions by Non-State Actors. So these are the kinds of incentives that we are talking about.

“We are saying in doing this we want to be constructive and organised so if you really deserve these incentives, you’ll get some more. We don’t want to offer incentives to individuals and committees that are not delivering on their mandates, that are lay-backs and have nothing to show for these contributions,” Mr Epia noted.

Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of FixPolitics, Mr Anthony Ubani, pledged the Coalition’s resolve towards strengthening legislative governance as an instrument for elevating the Office of the Citizen to its rightful place in our democracy.

He said: “The whole idea is by working with the media, we intend to work constructively to holding National Assembly members accountable so that they are able to respond in the manner that they ought to, to citizens.

“So we need to keep in mind that at the heart of having this Cohort is the understanding that things have not been going on well. If things have been going the way they are supposed to go there would be no need for this,” he noted.

According to him, “this cohort comprises CSOs working on various governance themes; its members are united by the need to promote legislative accountability and healthy partnerships for the common good of all Nigerians. We have decided to organize around the seminal and exclusive midterm reporting of the National Assembly delivered by OrderPaper since July 2021 till date.

“We hold the view that constructive engagements with the National Assembly can result in productive partnerships in the common interest of citizens. As Civil Society groups, we hold the mandate of constituents and citizens to mount oversight over those elected into public office. We also acknowledge that legislators are elected by citizens to promote their interests. There is therefore a convergence in the roles we as civil society play with those played by Members of Parliament.

“Accordingly, we believe that both spectrums can collaborate and partner together instead of maintaining adversarial relationships. We are optimistic that such collaboration can happen as is the case with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Nigeria where state and non-state actors are actively joining forces together to advance good governance and effective service delivery.

“This Cohort is conceived and built on a similar model. The National Assembly and Civil Society need not be cat and mouse or regard each other with suspicion at best. We can build mutual confidence and work together to achieve a better country. That is why it is our well-considered approach to engage the National Assembly on a non-adversarial basis anchored on a double-plank platform of (i) Legislative Accountability and (ii) Recognition and Reward System to incentivize improved performance in the interest of citizens.

“In other words, while we will be, on behalf of citizens, asking informed questions and demanding answers on the performance of elected representatives, we will also be happy to spotlight and thumbs up impressive service delivery by legislators and the legislature.

“In this regard, this cohort will be relying on and guided by the extensive signature stewardship appraisals of members of the National Assembly of Nigeria undertaken by OrderPaper. In fact, we hereby place it on record that the inspiration for organizing this cohort came from the objective, incisive and impactful midterm reporting of the 9th Assembly by the organization which generated widespread citizens’ interest.

“This cohort is designed to take advantage of the increased sensitisation created among constituents and citizens on how representatives in parliament are delivering on the mandates given to them.

“We have chosen this two-pronged approach because we believe that performing and productive legislatures are a critical component in a country’s overall governance framework and are fundamental to promoting effective service delivery to citizens. As you already know, the legislature is constitutionally mandated to fulfil three core functions in a democracy: Representation, Law-making, and Oversight.

“We believe strongly that achieving the governance goals of accountability, transparency, and democratic service delivery are directly related to the performance of these three functions. We are excited to note that citizens have taken notice of the bills, motions and petitions pushed through in the Senate and House of Representatives as objectively and comprehensively reported by OrderPaper.

“It is noteworthy that the appraisals were not just about the numbers but, very significantly, about the quality and progression of these legislative instruments. As the 2023 elections approach, we trust that (and we will indeed encourage) citizens to use these stewardship appraisals to demand accountability from members of the 9th Assembly and engage in associated conversations during the campaigns.

Members of the CSOs Cohort are; FixPolitics Initiative, CISLAC, Centre LSD, Social Action, AFRICMIL, Accountability Lab, Spaces for Change, CNC, WEWE Network Afrique, ICIR, OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative.

Marburg Virus: What You Need To Know About Disease Recently Detected In West Africa

CSOs to evaluate performance of NASS members, committees

FACT CHECK: US Did Not Give Nigeria 48 Hours Ultimatum To Detain Abba Kyari CSOs to evaluate performance of NASS members, committees

CSOs to evaluate performance of NASS members, committees

Kehinde Akintola