Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) #YLAPNG Press Statement

STATEMENT: MEDIA LAUNCH OF THE YOUNG LEGISLATORS ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT #YLAPNG Building a new social contract, forging effective relationship between legislators and constituents Protocols Background Nigeria is confronted with enormous economic and social challenges that require urgent response by both state and non-state actors. These challenges spans lack of accountability, exclusion, inequality, injustice, corruption and impunity etc. The purpose of government is to address these societal challenges faced by its citizens in line with the principles of democratic accountability, rule of law and inclusive participation. The legislature is central to the actualization of the social contract that binds citizens and their elected representatives. It is a symbol of democracy because citizens are given the opportunity to actively participate in governance beyond elections. Every Nigerian has one legislator representing his/her interest. That is democracy. This represents the germane difference between the legislature and executive. The legislature as an arm of government is more equal in membership and the most accessible contact of citizens. We must also acknowledge the fact that the legislature is the only arm of government likely to do most of its business in public given constituents the opportunity to know, learn what their representatives are doing, what decisions they are taking and how they are representing the interests of it constituents in the legislature. With the existence of a constituency office, the legislators routinely consult, interact and exchange views with the public. This is the arm of government where participation beyond voting on the elections is guaranteed. The legislature is that arm of government that contributes to government and in particular deepening democracy by providing real life assessments, feedback of how government policies affects the citizens (positive or negative) However since the country’ return to democracy, there has been several challenges in legislators- constituents relationship. On the part of the legislators, some of the challenges they face include the number of constituents requiring personal help on daily basis, the political party system, lack of resources amongst others. The greatest challenges for the citizens is in terms of low civic education, how to participate in governance processes, how to hold elected officials accountable etc. all these challenges affects the legitimacy of the state as the level of citizens belief in political authority is largely determined by the frequency of engagements. Recognizing this challenges militating against effective legislative_ constituent relations, this why the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) conceptualized the project: Young Legislators Accountability Project #YLAPNG to deepen democratic accountability and bridge the gap between the constituents and the legislature in the 8th National Assembly. The emphasis of the project is on the Young legislators in the 8th Assembly. The project aims to:  Bridge the gap between the elected representatives and its constituents;  Facilitate constituency interactions between the legislators and constituents on regular basis to exchange ideas and fulfill representational roles ;  Provide technical assistance where necessary for the young legislators;  Increase the number of young legislators in the National Assembly and state assemblies; In line with the above stated objectives, YIAGA is driven by a strong commitment to build a new social contract where legislators will forge effective and efficient relationships between legislators and constituents. This why we are keen to provide support systems that address challenges likely to undermine the performance of young legislators in the 8th Assembly. We at YIAGA also envisages the YLAPP as a platform for mainstreaming the interest of the over 60 percent population of Nigeria comprising Youth into the governance processes. With the cooperation and support of the Young Legislators which has been inspiring so far, (as you can see from the turn out today) we hope the communication gap between elected representatives and their constituents such that both parties can understand and appreciate their realities and needs. The project has four pillars; Legislative Support; Legislative Accountability; Citizens Participation and Political Mentorship with six components namely;  Constituency Accountability Dialogues:  Mid-term Performance Audit of Young Legislators:  Research and production of policy briefs:  #LetterToMyRep campaign  #YLAPNG Campus Storm  Celebrating Champions The project will be driven by three categories of stakeholders; Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Technical Working Group and an Advisory Panel. Through the establishment and support to the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, #YLAPNG promotes legislative accountability and qualitative legislative performance. #YLAPNG support to the forum is aimed at building models of good governance and effective representation. The Technical Working Group (TWG) comprises experienced youth experts drawn from youth CSOs in line with thematic areas of expertise. The TWG provides technical assistance to the young legislators through voluntary research and production of policy briefs. Furthermore, the IPU-FYP and TWG obtains resource from the experience and intellect of members of the #YLAPNG Advisory Panel (AP) comprising experienced academics, policy experts, legal practitioners etc. The AP and TWG provide a platform for intergenerational dialogue and knowledge transfer. Through the conduct of mid term performance audits of young legislators, the project will generate empirical evidence on the performance of elected representatives particularly young legislators. The regular interface with the technical youth working group and young legislators creates avenues for peer learning, alliances formation, political mentoring and leadership development. The project will also guarantee the availability of regular information on the contributions of young legislators to legislative activities. This information will be useful for the constituencies they represent. The project is seeks to achieve the following outcomes; 1. An accountable, open and transparent legislature; 2. Improved knowledge of young people on the role and responsibilities of legislators; 3. Increased visible citizens engagement with their elected representatives in the legislature; 4. Increased legislations, appropriations and resolutions addressing youth needs; 5. Availability of up-to-date information on legislative activities; particularly on the performance of young legislators; 6. A structured political framework for grooming young political leaders especially young female political leaders; 7. Improved capacity of young legislators in policy making, negotiation and advocacy The project enjoys the partnership of the following organizations contributing to its success; 1. IPU – Forum of Young Parliamentarians: Mobilizing young legislators in the National Assembly and utilizing the political space in the legislative to increase the quantitative and qualitative participation of youth in the legislature. 2. United States Embassy: Enhancing the performance of young legislators through capacity development and peer learning between young legislators in US and Nigeria. 3. Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre: Providing technical support on legislative engagement. 4. Centre for Democracy & Development: With its #Buharimeter, CDD provides policy analysis for effective legislative oversight and lawmaking. Conclusion Determining whether the votes of ‘We the People’ counted in the last election lies squarely on the ability of our elected representatives to deliver on their campaign promises. Nigeria is in dire need of legislators who consult with their constituents regularly, legislators who are open, accessible and accountable, legislators who sponsor qualitative bills and motions, and legislators who put the people first above their personal interest. We have been presented with an opportunity to have 29 young legislators (under 40) represent us at the National Assembly. This opportunity places a burden on us to build models of legislative accountability and transformative leadership. Can we seize this opportunity? Signed. Itodo Samson Head of Research, Policy & Advocacy Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth & Advancement (YIAGA)