Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Promoting civil society in Nigeria

It seems that today's theme on this blog is Nigeria. And here's another reason for optimism.

Here's an article from This Day (Lagos) about a legislator who seems to have been reviewing his political science textbooks.

House Engages Civil Society On Legislative Agenda

"In a move aimed at repositioning and fostering cordial relationship with the civil society , the leadership of the House of Representatives has begun deliberate efforts at engaging the groups and other organisations...

"Chairman House Committee on Media and Publicity Honourable Eziuche Ubani confirmed yesterday that the meeting which holds today will indeed promote citizen participation in the governance and development of the House activities...

"The lawmaker... explained that since the return to civilian rule over eight years ago, there has not been a consistent and systematic process to promote interaction between the legislature and civil society organisations , hence the need to convene the forum and address the issue.

"He also said that though democracy is the best form of government , democratic culture requires dialogue, citizen participation and representation.

"The legislature, according to Ubani represents the people and can serve as a veritable medium for promoting dialogue and citizen participation. It is important to point out that military rule eroded democratic culture of dialogue and consensus building. It is clear that the prolonged nature of military rule constricted democratic space, entrenched authoritarianism, and nurtured militarism in Nigeria..."

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home