The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, North Central, Mrs Abiodun Essiet has charged volunteers of the Citizens Assembly Initiative to serve as a link in propagating government policies to the grassroots.
Mrs Essiet made the call at the inauguration of the Volunteers of the Citizens Assembly as well as a town hall meeting in Lokoja.
She said the Citizens Assembly which is the initiative of her office is meant to tackle community problems and bridge the gap between the government and governed in the area of needs assessment of the people, policy formulation and implementation, grassroots development and sensitizing them on Federal Government achievements.
“The Citizens’ Assembly was created to collectively tackle community problems and foster an inclusive society where every voice is heard. It offers structures across where residents can express their thoughts, share ideas, table pleas, and collaborate on lasting solutions to existing problems, while also planning proactively for future challenges”.
According to her, the Federal Government is doing alot to address the economic challenges in the country such as the NELFUND programme for students, distribution of food palliatives through the state governments and ongoing introduction of CNG buses to ease cost of transportation.
Community engagement she also stressed plays a crucial role in building trust between the Federal Government and its citizens as well as establishes a direct connection, ensuring that the voices of the people are heard and considered in the corridors of power.
Earlier, the Project Manager, Citizens’ Assembly, Jacob Alagbe enumerated the objectives of the Assembly to include fostering meaningful community engagement and dialogue across the North Central and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders including traditional rulers, Local Government Executives amongst others.
In his keynote address, the Rector Kogi Polytechnic, Lokoja, Professor Usman Ogbo while commending the initiative of the office of the SSA to the President on Community Engagement, urged the Federal Government to put measures in place to address the hunger in the land.
In thier separate goodwill messages, the Kogi State Director of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Dare, representative of the twelfth brigade Commander, State President of the National Council of Women Society, Mrs Sikiratu Audi Bello and that of traditional rulers, Alhaji Ola Aliu all pledge thier support to the success of the initiative of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement.
Also speaking addressing the volunteers of the Citizens Assembly the member representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sanni Egidi urged them to be good ambassadors of the people at the grassroots by engaging in meaningful dialogue to achieve set goals.
He assured the SSA of his commitment to the success of the programme towards fulfilling the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Volunteers promised to work in tandem with the oath taken to make the impact of the Federal Government more felt at the grassroots level.