Amb. Kenneth Anetor, advocate for youth development and mental health, says community action remains central to Nigeria’s transformation, urging citizens to actively participate in development processes at grassroots levels.
Anetor said this during a panel session at the Futurecast Africa 2026 conference, organised in collaboration with IDCL Global in Abuja.
“The voice of the community is the strongest voice because if we rise together, there is no limit to what we can achieve,” he said.
Anetor said community engagement had helped improve citizens’ participation in policy discussions, particularly through his involvement with National Assembly committees on drug abuse and related matters.
According to him, every productive young Nigerian who chooses to contribute positively to society strengthens the foundation for national development.
“The change that happens at the community level is what eventually translates into national development,” he said.
Speaking on citizen participation, Mr Olaniyan Sanusi, who represented Mr Samson Itodo, Chief Executive Officer of Yiaga Africa, expressed concern over declining voter turnout, especially among young Nigerians.
Sanusi noted that although youths represented the largest proportion of new voter registrations ahead of the 2023 general elections, many failed to participate during the polls.
He said democracy required sustained engagement beyond election periods, urging citizens to join political processes, attend town hall meetings and hold leaders accountable.
“Participation goes beyond election day. It is about engaging government between elections, joining political parties, attending town hall meetings and holding leaders accountable,” he said.
Sanusi said citizens’ assemblies at the local government level had demonstrated that communities could influence development decisions when residents organised and engaged public officials.
He encouraged eligible voters to take advantage of technological innovations introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking, Mrs Lucy James, Chief Executive Officer of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), called for increased public awareness of government procurement processes to promote accountability.
James said many citizens were unaware that government contract information was accessible through the Bureau of Public Procurement’s Open Contracting Data Standards platform.
She said access to procurement information would enable citizens to monitor public projects and ensure contractors delivered quality services.
“The challenge is not only about budgets but ensuring transparency in procurement and holding contractors accountable for delivering quality projects,” she said.
James urged small and medium-scale enterprises to register on the national contractors’ database to enable them participate actively in public procurement opportunities.
She also urged citizens to monitor projects in their communities and demand accountability where projects were abandoned or poorly executed.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)