As we observe Global Legislative Openness Week 2024 (GLOW 2024), The Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD) and The Electoral Hub recognise the importance of transparency, accountability, and public engagement in legislative processes worldwide. This week is a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to advocate for open governance practices that empower citizens and strengthen democratic institutions.

Global Legislative Openness Week was established to highlight the critical role that open legislatures play in fostering democratic governance. The initiative emerged from a growing global consensus on the necessity of transparency in government operations. Open legislatures are fundamental to ensuring that citizens can hold their representatives accountable, enhancing public trust in democratic institutions. The observance of GLOW aligns with broader movements such as the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which Nigeria joined in 2016. Through this partnership, countries commit to improving governance by promoting transparency, empowering citizens, and fighting corruption.

In Nigeria, the need for legislative openness is particularly pressing. Despite the establishment of the National Assembly Open Week in 2018, which aimed to foster public engagement with lawmakers, many citizens continue to need help accessing crucial information regarding legislative activities. This includes essential details about bills under consideration, voting records, and committee reports. Outdated or poorly maintained legislative websites further worsen this issue. Additionally, there needs to be more awareness among citizens regarding their rights to access information about legislative proceedings, limiting public participation and engagement in governance.

In our commitment to promoting legislative openness in Nigeria, IRIAD – The Electoral Hub launched the OPEN NASS Initiative in 2021 in partnership with the Centre LSD and support from the MacArthur Foundation. This initiative aims to facilitate and institutionalize a culture of transparency, accountability, and participation within the legislative processes, institutions, and practices by focusing on engaging young people through outreach programs designed to educate them about their rights and responsibilities within the legislative framework. OPEN NASS actively promotes transparency and accountability by advocating for accessible platforms where citizens can quickly and easily obtain information about legislative activities while encouraging citizen involvement, particularly, young people, through town hall meetings and forums where constituents can interact directly with their representatives.

For GLOW 2024, IRIAD -The Electoral Hub will continue our work on Open NASS with our project deepening citizens understanding, participation and commitment to Open legislative processes and practices with three key activities:

1.      Production of a Technical note on trends, challenges and opportunities for Openness of the National and State Assemblies of Nigeria’s.

2.      Social media civic education with continuous dissemination of democratic governance and legislative process information using infographics, cartoons, and infobites on our social media handles, WhatsApp forums, websites and partners websites.

3.      Hybrid civic education meeting with youths from the North-Central geo-political zone of Nigeria.

Call to Action

As we commemorate Global Legislative Openness Week 2024, we call upon all relevant stakeholders as follows:

¾    Government Officials: Implement comprehensive transparency policies, strengthen legal frameworks for public access to information, foster collaboration with civil society organizations, and promote civic education to empower citizens and enhance democratic engagement.

¾    Civil Society Organizations: Continue vital work in raising awareness about citizens’ rights regarding access to information and participation in governance. Collaborate with other organizations to amplify impact and drive systemic change within Nigeria’s legislative processes, institutions and practices.

¾    Media/NOA: Play an active role in educating the public about legislative processes and the importance of transparency. Utilize platforms to highlight issues related to legislative openness and promote citizen engagement.

¾    Citizens: Demand accountability from representatives by actively participating in the legislative processes and institutions. Attend town hall meetings, engage with elected officials on social media, and advocate for rights to access information about legislative activities and services.

Together, let us work towards a more transparent and accountable governance system that reflects the aspirations of all Nigerians. By embracing the principles of openness this week, we can build a stronger democracy where every voice is heard and valued.

#GLOW #OpenParl

#OpenNASS #OpenHASS/SASS

  #GlobalLegislativeOpennessWeek2024

 #IRIADForTransparency #OpenNASS #IRIADForPublicAccountability

Signed

Princess Hamman-Obels, Director|IRIAD-The Electoral Hub

Phone: +234 9151221138 and + 234 9086998850

E-mail: electoralhub@gmail.com  and comms.iriad@gmail.com 

Twitter: @electoralhub and @iriadev

Instagram: @electoralhub, @theelectoralforum, and @iriadev

Facebook: @electoralhubng, @electoralforum, and @iriadev

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-electoral-hub/  

https://www.linkedin.com/company/iriadev/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@electoralhub1196

Website: https://www.iriadng.org and  https://www.electoralhub.iriadng.org  

ABOUT IRIAD AND THE ELECTORAL HUB

The Initiative for Research, Innovation, and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD) is an interdisciplinary knowledge and advocacy hub committed and focused on developing a critical understanding of governance processes and regimes from research, documentation, policy engagements, public education and impact advocacy.

The Electoral Hub is an interdisciplinary knowledge, policy and advocacy hub committed to promoting electoral knowledge, integrity, and accountability in Nigeria.  Our aim is to strengthen electoral governance and accountability in Nigeria through the provision of data, critical and contextualized analysis, and solutions to improve the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.

Knowledge| Innovation | Inclusion|

#Advocacy #Results #Impact

…promoting electoral knowledge, accountability, and integrity