In every democratic governance system, citizens must be active participants to ensure government plans and executions resonate the people’s hopes. This involvement can be best enhanced through participation in grassroots politics, which empowers citizens to take ownership of their governance – a core part of our GoVote program, empowering citizens and communities to become active citizens.
Grassroots politics is essential in promoting democratic governance as it fosters transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. This ensures that policies are shaped by the very people they affect most. Grassroots politics is political involvement that occurs at the local community level which is the closest tier of power to the people, when individual citizens, rather than elected officials, have the ability to participate and influence decisions that directly affect their lives.
As former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said “Let us never forget that the government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” This timeless quote underscores the essence of grassroots politics, citizens taking ownership of their governance. It is through such active engagement that the foundation of democratic governance becomes strong and resilient.
Why is Grassroots Politics Important?
Grassroots politics allows citizens to participate directly in local elections, engage with their representatives, and influence decisions that affect their community. This turns democracy into more than just a periodic exercise of voting in national elections; rather, a participatory process.
Grassroots political participation is crucial for fostering accountability. When local officials are elected directly by the people, they are more likely to respond to the needs of their constituents especially when those constituents are actively monitoring and engaging in the political process.
“A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”- Nelson Mandela. Grassroots involvement ensures that every citizen, regardless of social or economic status, has a voice in shaping the policies that affect them, maintaining inclusivity and transparency in governance.
The Local Government Participation and its Advantages
Local governments offer citizens the opportunity to take charge of their future by addressing immediate community needs and planning for sustainable and long-term development. When citizens have a direct hand in shaping their community’s destiny, policies remain relevant, actionable, and effective. Mahatma Gandhi once said “The future depends on what we do in the present.”
Local government participation plays a critical role in promoting grassroots politics. Often seen as the closest form of governance to the people, local governments provide the most immediate platform for citizen engagement. This proximity allows for greater responsiveness to specific community needs, as local governments are directly responsible for addressing issues such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, and public services.
One of the key advantages of local government participation is that it allows for tailored solutions to community specific challenges. Unlike national governments, which may implement broad, one-size-fits-all policies, local governments can create and enforce policies that directly address the unique needs of their localities.
Local Government Autonomy and Challenges to Grassroot Participation
Despite its importance, grassroots political involvement in the local government system in Nigeria faces several challenges. Citizens feel disconnected from the political process and, as a result, do not participate in local governance. This disconnection often arises from lack of awareness about the role of local governments, the perception that individual votes do not matter, or widespread distrust in the national political system.
On 11th July, 2024, the supreme court ruled and granted local government autonomy to local governments in Nigeria. Local governments administration in Nigeria are now better positioned to become more accountable to citizens. A big win for democracy. Nevertheless, how citizens embrace this new development will go a long way to test how prepared we are as a people to hold elected representatives accountable to deliver on their campaign promises. Following the supreme court judgment, there has been a fire bridge approach by the state to hold local government elections in order not to flaunt the deadline given by the court.
Technically, what does local government autonomy really mean, and how can citizens harness the benefits of this court judgment? Local government remains the closest tier of government to the people, and constitutionally Nigeria has 774 local governments. The autonomy of these local governments means that the state can no longer make decisions for the local government – financial management, revenue collection, and resource allocation will solely be by the Local government without state government interference. It further means that local government can now function as an arm of government, citizens can hold their local representative to account for their allocations and budgets, and according to the law, a local government official does not have immunity which makes accountability clear and square. Power is now in your hands as an electorate.
Notwithstanding this judgment, there are a multi-layer of issues that must be urgently fixed to ensure true independence of local governments in order for the dividend to be felt by the people. The capture of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) by the states must be dismantled to ensure fairness, integrity of election, and preserve the principle of democracy. There is an important need for reforms that will help restore confidence in the local governance system.
What we are doing with the “Active Citizenship Series ” on grassroot citizens engagement is to ensure that there is adequate knowledge and mindset reorientation to get more people involved at the grassroots level. If the government must work at the federal or state level, it must start from the local government which is the closest tier to the citizens.
The capacity of local government to deliver its core function to its citizenry must be strengthened through civic education & awareness, citizens involvement and political engagement – an important component of our GoVote program which ensures information about electoral processes are simplified to enable citizens to take action and get involved.
Did you know that the local government is responsible for the construction of your community roads, market, street lighting, sewage, refuse collection and disposal, provision and maintenance of vocational education , motor parks, primary health care centers amongst others? Yes! That is why you need to get involved today.
Empowering Communities and Strengthening Democratic Institutions
Grassroots politics not only promotes accountability but also strengthens underprivileged groups such as women, youth, and minority communities. They can ensure that democracy works for them by participating at the grassroots level and advocating for policies that meet their needs. Empowering citizens to have agency will contribute to the promotion and strengthening of democratic processes.
Active participation in grassroots governance encourages community ownership in ways that makes government more responsive and attentive to citizens’ demands based on their needs rather than what political actors think they need – This paves way for an intentional leadership that is accountable and transparent because the citizens are engaged.
Conclusion
The active involvement of citizens in grassroots politics is fundamental to the functioning of our local government system in Nigeria. When citizens are involved, they are able to hold their representative accountable and advocate for necessary structural and developmental changes. To deepen our democracy, citizens should not only participate in elections but also play an active role in the day-to-day governance processes, ensuring that representatives deliver on their promises.
Although some states have had their Local Government Area (LGA) elections, many LG elections have been scheduled to be held this October (Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Ogun & Plateau) until February 2025(Katsina, Ondo & Osun). Ensure to participate and vote.