Etaba Chairs Two-Day Strategy And Capacity Building Retreat For The House Committee On Public Petitions ... Calls For Collaboration Between The legislature and CSOs to Drive Citizen Engagement And Advocacy For Good Governance.

Etaba Chairs Two-Day Strategy And Capacity Building Retreat For The House Committee On Public Petitions 

... Calls For Collaboration Between The legislature and CSOs to Drive Citizen Engagement And Advocacy For Good Governance.  

Rt. Hon. Mike Etaba, member representing Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency and chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions has called for collaboration between the legislature and civil society organizations to drive citizen engagement and advocacy for good governance. 

The member made this call on Saturday at the end of a two-day "Strategy And Capacity Building Retreat" held on Friday, 26th and Saturday, 27th October 2023 at Abuja  Continental Hotel, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja. 

The workshop organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), in conjunction with the European Union (EU) for the House of Representatives Committee On Public Petitions was aimed at supporting democratic governance in Nigeria. 

Rt. Hon. Mike Etaba, in his remarks, commended the participants for their active engagement and contributions towards the success of the retreat, while emphasizing the critical role of public petitions in ensuring accountability and transparency in government. He noted that the committee on public petitions has the responsibility to ensure that citizens' complaints are properly addressed and resolved through effective and efficient legislative processes. Etaba who doubled as chairman of the event thanked the EU and PLAC for facilitating the workshop as well as pledged to use the privilege of his office as chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions to promote good governance and citizen participation in the democratic process.

In their separate speeches, Mazi Dr. Michael Eze, former clerk of the house committee on Public Petitions and Mr. Gbenga Arelube of Raypower FM who were guest speakers in the workshop underscored the role of the legislature in ensuring effective citizen participation in governance, as well as the importance of strengthening capacity and institutional frameworks to enhance the responsiveness of government to citizens' demands.

On his part, Dr. Umar Musa, Director of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Kaduna Study Centre hammered on setting proper work plan for the legislative business, stressing the need for continuous collaboration and partnerships between the legislature and civil society organisations to enhance citizens' voices and participation in governance. 

Mike Etaba Media