2023: Politicians, civil society organisations to seek accountability over campaign promises as NPO Reports hold one-day dialogue
Politicians and prominent members of the civil society organisations are billed to seek new ways to hold politicians accountable for the promises they make to the electorate during electioneering at a one-day dialogue session convened by NPO Reports.
Slated to hold at the Nigerian National Merit Award (Merit House) Abuja on Tuesday January 17, 2023, a former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi; current Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; a former President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki; Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu have been listed to speak at the event which aims to set new agenda in electoral campaigns in the country.
Holding in the thick of campaign promises ahead of the 2023 general elections, others expected to speak at the one-day dialogue, which is also to mark the 12th year anniversary of the NPO Reports (formerly Nigeria Politics Online), are Lai Olurode, a professor of sociology and former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); a former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Women Trust Fund, Mufuliat Fijabi.
The theme of the one-day dialogue - 2023 & Beyond: Tracking Campaign Promises for Good Governance - according to a statement, signed by Semiu Okanlawon, Editor-in-Chief of NPO Reports, is to ensure political office seekers and the electorate begin to treat campaign promises as accountability issues for the sake of good governance.
The event will also feature a panel discussion which will be moderated by frontline columnist and the Vice President/Editor-in-Chief of Leadership Newspapers, Azubuike Ishiekwene.
To be on the panel are a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and currently Executive Director, Agora Policy, Waziri Adio; Chief Executive Officer, Connected Development, Hamza Lawal; and Abiodun Adeniyi, a professor of mass communication at the Baze University in Abuja; and
Angela Agoawike, the CEO of Omalicha Radio and former Editorial Coordinator at the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) News.
Also expected at the NPO Reports event are representatives of civil society organisations especially those working for the fine-tunning of the Nigerian political space. Some of these include YIAGA Africa, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Reporting, Fix Politics, BudgIT, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP).
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According to Mr Okanlawon, journalism has a huge role to play in turning campaign promises into accountability issues.
"Over the decades, not even the politicians who mount campaign boxes are conscious of the sanctity of the promises they make.
"Oftentimes, there are no records of those promises. Whereas, the electorate, often take electoral decisions on the strength of the promises made.
"Sadly, there are no mechanisms for tracking these promises and there is a dearth of tools to force them back to their promises in order to achieve redemption." the statement by the NPO Reports editor-in-chief said.
