HON. ABAYOMI SHEBA Esq URGES NIGERIAN CITIZENS INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS.


BY Pincess Eigbokhan oOrih

Public service is a service intended to serve members of any given society, state or country. Public service is usually provided by the government to people living within its jurisdiction, either through the public sector or by financing provision of services. In any Democratic society, the people are an integral part of democracy. People demand for opportunities to contribute to the decision-making processes that not only affect their lives but also the nation at large. Any elected leader, who is in government either through appointment or ballot votes, must contribute in creating transforming policies that will affect the lives of the citizens and also ensures institutions are accountable, responsible and transparent.



With the present state of our nation NIGERIA, I (Hon ABAYOMI SHEBA Esq.) constantly admire the growing sense of activism amongst the people. It is vital to understand the yearnings of our people, their tears, disappointments and pain. As leaders we need to listen to the people who trusted us with their mandate and ensure that we work towards creating the right policies that would improve their lives and livelihood.



"I noticed that, for example my people in Okitipupa/lrele Federal Constituency are contending with the effects of decades of exclusion and alienation, and majority of them are denied opportunities that could add value to their lives. I also noticed that they are still contending with uncertainties, future characterized by persistent poverty, poor roads networks, lack of functional healthcare, access to quality education and unemployment.
All these have its negative effect on the self-esteem of my people, their sense of belonging and their ability to appreciate being fully part of the democracy of our great country.



Let's take a look at the participation of the citizens in the electioneering and the elections. It is important to ask ourselves as citizens of this great nation NIGERIA. Do we understand how important we are to national development, Nation building, civic duties and political engagement?
Over time, it has been argued that there is low interest in patriotic citizen’s involvement in politics and low turnout during election. This can also be attributed to the frustration with the leader’s failure to provide the citizens with desirable prospects.


Taking Okitipupa/lrele Federal Constituency for instance. This is my constituency where the citizens daily struggles to secure decent employment, afford quality education, get soft loans to support their businesses, get innovative empowerment and support their dreams in their various professions. These are some of the matters that continue to affect their participation in civic responsibilities. Moreover, most of them seem to have low levels of trust in politicians, their parties and, at some level, local government.


Despite their limited involvement in formal political activities, the nation has witness the citizen’s mobilizing power around issues that affect their lives. For instance, the #endsars #endpolicebrutality protests by the SORO SOKE generation which demanded for a better police reform. It was followed by the ACADEMIC STAFF OF UNIVERSITIES UNION, protests that demanded for better standard of education to the recent protests by NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENT DOCTORS (NARD) for improvement in wages and prompt payment of salaries.
These protests are indications of limited avenues in formal structures. Moreover, their dissatisfaction reflects national sentiment. Against this background, it is important that the leaders do not mistake its citizen’s dissatisfaction with the government for apathy.


The people may be alienated from the contemporary NIGERIAN political culture, but I will advice that we the people should invest that positive energy to make their voices heard by getting involved as legitimate and respected decision makers in our country through the ballot box and active involvement in the Nigeria politics. It is also important for the leaders to recognize the people as agents of change in a democratic society like ours, and as leaders we must continue to explore new ways to involve them as key contributors to policy decision-making processes, and acknowledge that, they are also legitimate stakeholders with equal voice in our dear country Nigeria.



I (Hon ABAYOMI SHEBA Esq.) believed that as the fourth arm of government, we the people must ensure that we are meaningfully involved in our nation's democratic process so that our voice will become an integral part of our democracy. It must not be silenced, for we are agents of change in our democracy.

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Good one. Let's get off the fence and get involved.