Lagos State Government has reiterated that continuous citizen-participation and engagement are vital to governance, stressing that the power of the citizens goes beyond the ballot box.

Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Samuel Egube, stated this at a one-day African Union Development Agency/New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA/NEPAD) Town Hall/Stakeholders Engagement meeting at the State Level aimed at sensitising stakeholders and focal point persons on actualisation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Egube said, “As we come together to see how we are doing, we need to engage the citizens so that we can hear from them, for the collective intelligence of the people of Lagos State is what drives the intelligence of the Government”.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, who also doubles as a member of the National Governing Council AUDA-NEPAD, and the Zonal Coordinator of the South-West, Princess Iyabo Fakunle-Okieimen explained that the APRM assessment is conducted within the framework of four thematic areas – Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance and Socio-Economic Development.

According to Fakunle-Okieimen, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is to foster the adoption and implementation of policies which includes the SDGs-AU Agenda 2003, while also adopting standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development as well as accelerated regional and continental economic integration.

She added that the review is not to “name and shame” any member State but, to be nationally-owned and led by its citizens, the review process must be inclusive and participatory involving the public sector, civil society, private sector, media, youths, people living with disability and academia, noting that the review must be technically competent, credible and free from manipulation.

While urging participants not to withhold their views in dealing with the questions, Fakunle-Okieimen said the on-going APRM is an avenue for an all-inclusive governance via assessment of government within the four thematic areas to help drive the change required in the Nation, through the acceleration of sub-regional and continental economic integration, experience sharing and reinforcement of successful best practices, promotion of peer learning and constructive dialogue and persuasion.

Fakunle-Okieimen averred that the main expectations from the interactive and participatory Town Hall Meeting includes raising awareness about the APRM process, raising awareness about the roles and responsibilities of the national structures during the second review, seeking people’s opinions and input into policies, standards and practice that could lead to political stability, high economic growth and sustainable development.

The Zonal Coordinator also maintained that the ongoing second APRM processes would be difficult if citizens were not carried along in a participatory and interactive process at the meeting because the Government alone cannot attain good governance without citizens` involvement to ensure security of lives and property, facilitate economic growth, empowerment of women and youths and poverty eradication across the country.