Monday 18 June 2012

Using science to boost governance


AfroBarometer and CLEEN Foundation brainstorm to impact Nigerians positively
For Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of democracy, there is need for people-centred reforms, and this was the view of stakeholders at a one-day event organised by AfroBarometer Network and CLEEN Foundation to brainstorm on possible survey questions that will impact positively on the lives of Nigerians.
The stakeholders, drawn from the media, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and the government, discussed home-grown questionnaires to be employed for the 5th round of the 'AfroBarometer Governance and Democracy Survey' in the country.
CLEEN Foundation is working with AfroBarometer as the national partner.
The survey, which will be conducted across the country sometime in June, is aimed at eliciting responses from Nigerians on a wide range of issues about governance and democracy in the country .
Poor power supply, bad roads, electoral malpractices, challenges in the aviation industry, insecurity and tackling terrorism and insurgence, were some of the questions to feature in the survey.
Katty Addy, the Outreach Co-ordinator for AfroBarometer, stated that the survey is aimed at improving the living conditions of the ordinary man.
“AfroBarometer has been conducting public opinion survey in Africa and this survey covers a lot of issues and the assessment of democracy, and governance," she said.
"This survey helps to elicit answers from the ordinary man and their voices to be heard as the data gathered can be useful in formulating policies that are people centred."
The Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Innocent Chukwuma, stated that implementing people centred polices would enhance democracy
and governance in the country.
Chukwuma also said that data from the survey will be made available to the government and other stakeholders for people-centred policy formulation and implementation.
"Also, the survey will help policy makers to evaluate the impact of the polices on the lives of the people, that way, they will know where the problem lies and how to solve it,” he added.
The AfroBarometer is an independent, non-partisan research project that measures the social, political, and economic atmosphere in Africa.
Reacting to the importance of a governance survey, Akingbolahan Adeniran, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos state governor on Legal Matters, said such data have assisted the state government in the past.
"The more scientific we are in solving our problems, (and) the more objective we are, the better for us, as these data help government to look at problems objectively," he said.

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