30th December, 2017
An Ebonyi-based Non-Governmental Organization, (NGO), Ebonyi Transparency and Accountability Network (ETAN), says transparency and accountability in public service are key to enhancing good governance in any society.
The President of the group, Mr Eze Igwe, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on Saturday in Afikpo ahead of proposed town hall meeting of the group with the elected state and federal lawmakers from the Ebonyi South Senatorial District.
According to Eze, ETAN is an advocacy group made up of professionals from Ebonyi resident in Nigeria and in the Diaspora who united to pull both material and intellectual resources to assist in the development of the state.
He said that the NGO was committed to driving transparency and accountability in public service by engaging those occupying public offices, especially the lawmakers in public discourse in organised town hall meetings.
“We drive transparency in governance and especially demand accountability from people in public office and that engagement has been going on since 2016.
“In this 2017, our target is to meet with elected lawmakers from Ebonyi South, engage them during the town hall and make them meet one on one with the people of their constituencies,” Eze said.
He said that there was a detachment between the people and their representatives arguing that most times the product of legislators did not reflect the wishes of the people.
He said that the proposed meeting would provide a platform for seamless communication between the represented and the representatives during which issue-based problems could be focused on.
He said that the initiative would further provide an opportunity for the representatives from the zone to give an account of their stewardship to the people which he noted would boost and strengthen citizens active participation in governance.
“There is a detachment between the people and their elected representatives and most times when you see the product of legislators, it does not reflect the wishes of the people they are representing.
“So, we wanted to start this town hall meeting so that there is a seamless communication between the people and their representatives so that issue-based problems can be focused on.
“This engagement will ensure that we have more responses to people-based problems as against just governance.
The group called for more openness in government and more access to freedom of information, to enable the people to connect with the day to day activities of government especially in fiscal governance.
“States should be able to increase access to more information, be able to put their budgets online so that citizens can see their budgets.
“States should also be able to publish their annual accounts and audited annual reports that enable citizens to have a greater understanding of what government is saying its priorities are and where it is actually spending its resources.”
Eze explained that when citizens were actively involved in governance and political process, the quality of service delivery would be enhanced.
He commended Gov. Dave Umahi for embarking on aggressive infrastructure development in Abakaliki but called for decentralisation of some of the projects.
The group further called on the government to give greater attention to the education sector, improve the security architecture and power infrastructure to enhance industrialisation of the state.
The group has urged the eligible electorate to register and obtain their voter cards to qualify to vote in the forthcoming general elections.
The group also enjoined the electorate to ensure that only people who understood the value of human resources, maintained transparency and accountability in public leadership got their support.