Most actions and activities of elected officials in Nigeria are anti people – NOA Ag DG

By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
The Acting Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mrs Ngozi Ekeoba yesterday declared that most of the actions and activities of elected officials in Nigeria have nothing to do with the people.
Mrs Ekeoba stated this in Ibadan at a one-day forum on “Citizens Conversation with Elected Public Officials” organized by NOA in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
According to the NOA boss, this has resulted to civil and industrial unrest and insecurity in and across the country arising from the misplacement of the needs of Nigerians.
Specifically, the NOA boss who stressed that Nigerians were not being carried along in decision making process by the elected officials, noted that the forum was not aimed at attacking public elected officials but to give room for Nigerians to interact and rub minds with their representatives.
She added that the forum was meant to among other things also strengthen and sustain Nigeria’s growing democracy.
Declaring open the forum, Governor Abiola Ajimobi advocated for a synergy between the citizens’ yearning and elected officials’ vision for the benefit of Nigeria by making both the citizens and the elected officials conscious of their role and responsibility.
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information, Dr Bashir Olanrewaju, the governor stressed that the citizens and the elected officials must equally appreciate the other party’s constitutional and resource limitations.
“For sustainable peace and development, government and the governed must regularly address such gaps together. At some point, a third party may be needed to bring citizens and their elected representatives together to jointly fill such gorges,” he said.
Oyo State NOA Director, Mrs Dolapo Dosunmu in her remark, said democracy can only flourish “if we all own it”, saying, “both leaders and the lead should work together to make it work”.