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By Cynthia Alo & Joseph Oso

The Youth initiatives for Advocacy, Growth and advancement (YIAGA) has called for a deliberative democracy between the local government and her citizens so as to foster and improve democratic system in the country.

Yiaga Africa hosted a 2-day retreat and the opening of the LGA People’s Assembly in Lagos which is aimed at promoting democracy and policy decisions at the local government level.

Addressing journalists after an interactive session, Program Manager, Governance and Development, Yiaga Africa, Ibrahim Faruk stated that Yiaga is focused on improving democratic factors, and building citizens power so as to reclaim their states and one way to achieve it is through the people’s assembly initiative.

He said “The people’s assembly is centered on deliberative democracy and what this means is that citizens have the opportunity to deliberate and also create a space where they can identify issues and also point out what are the common solution”.

Mr. Faruk further elaborated that in March Yiaga has an inaugural meeting to establish the people’s assembly which brought together different groups, religious institutions and traditional institutions so as to have a conversation and also introduce them to the concept of deliberative democracy.

“Since the meeting in March the various groups have been having meetings and also to identify what are those issues and what are those solutions that can be presented to the local government executives.

We are here today now and we are bringing together local government executives to meet and the people’s assembly that was establish earlier and it’s an opportunity at this retreat for citizens to engage with local government executives and also it is for the local government executives to engage with the citizens in the L.G.A to understand, identify those problems and find common solution”.

Expressing his hope on what the retreat tends to offer to both the citizens and her government he said “We hope after this retreat we are able to institute this practice of deliberative democracy and what this means for us is that when this people assembly meets and deliberate on what are the key issues and what are the key actions and key solutions.

“The local government is open to be receiving this solutions knowing that it is coming from a place of collective intelligence, knowing that it is coming from a place of public deliberation where citizens come together and deliberate, find, and identify what are the challenges and problems and also find solutions and local government executive either the chairman, counselors are able to take the findings from the people assembly or the solution proposed by the people’s assembly, “ he added.

Also speaking , the Executive Chairman, Surulere L.G.A, Bamidele Yusuf Sulaima, said he is impressed with the organization for putting up the program thereby creating a platform where local government executives can deliberate with the grass-root.

He said “In surulere, there have been massive turnaround and changes in terms of peace and safety. It was possible because all the political office holders are working together as a group to speak to the stakeholders in the local government and what we can do to improve the lives of our people”.