…As CSO Launches LGA, Policy Registry Protals
The Executive Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr. Abdullahi Usman Bello, has commended Agora Policy, a Nigerian public policy think-tank and non-profit organization, on the the graduation of the civil advocacy organisation’s second set of graduates of its Policy Writing Fellowship programme.
The graduation ceremony held on Thursday in Abuja also featured the launching of the civil society advocacy group’s Local Governance Accountability (LGA) and the Policy Registry digital platforms, both of which were designed to enhance transparency, accountability and the quality of policymaking and policy conversation in the country.
In his goodwill message delivered at the event, the CCB chairman congratulated the over 20 twenty fellows, who hasuccessfully completed this intensive four-month training programme, noting that their dedication, intellectual rigour, and the policy papers they have produced under the guidance of Agora Policy supervisors are truly commendable.
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According to him, the graduands represent the kind of thoughtful, evidence-driven leadership Nigeria needs as we work to build stronger institutions and improve the lives of our citizens.
While commending Agora Policy, and MacArthur Foundation for the support for this visionary initiative, Bello described their commitment to strengthening an evidence-driven, inclusive, and robust approach to policymaking and policy engagement is both timely and impactful.
The Executive Chairman clarified: “The LGA Portal, which provides free access to financial allocations to local councils from 1999 to date, together with council profiles and the names of elected officials, is a powerful instrument for promoting transparency and accountability at the grassroots level.
“The LGA database is particularly important to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
“At the Code of Conduct Bureau, we firmly believe that sustainable national development and the fight against corruption must begin with strong, accountable local governance.
“This portal will empower citizens, researchers, journalists, and civic actors to monitor public resources and demand better service delivery — directly supporting our collective efforts to entrench integrity and ethical conduct in public service.
Bello disclosed that as part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen integrity and accountability in public service, the Code of Conduct Bureau had completed verification of asset declarations for high-risk public servants, covering 19 Ministers, 37 Permanent Secretaries, 20 Heads of agencies, and 32 other high-risk officials.
This is even as he hinted on the Bureau’s Online Asset and Liabilities Declaration System now 100% developed and ready for deployment and testing, adding that the platform will hold the asset declaration database of all public servants in Nigeria.
He said the CCB was ready to enter into partnerships that enhance responsible public access to relevant governance data without compromising the privacy and security of declarants.
Bello spoke on the various enforcement efforts of the Bureau and several assets recovered from fraudsters, charged that Policy Writing graduates to carry forward the spirit of inquiry, integrity, and public service in all your future endeavours and that the knowledge, skills, and networks gained by then should be deployed to address our nation’s challenges and to strengthen governance at every level.
He commended Agora Policy for the excellent work it continued to do in advancing Nigeria’s policy landscape, stressing that the CCB remains open to productive partnerships in the pursuit of good governance, transparency, and accountability.
A statement issued by a leading independent filmmaking and digital media production expert, Doyinsola Wale-Banmore, on the activities slated for the unveiling of the portals and certification of the graduates indicated that the fellowship and the portals were part of the series of activities under the ‘Policy Support, Deepening and Engagement (PSDE)’ project.
The PSDE project is an initiative of Agora Policy implemented to strengthen evidence-driven and participatory approaches to policymaking and governance in the country and supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
In its second year, the Policy Writing Fellowship is Agora Policy’s flagship intervention introduced to enhance the capacity of competitively-selected mid-career professionals to conceive, research and write compelling and impactful policy papers.
Wale-Banmore further clarified: “The graduating fellows have completed an intensive, four-month training that culminated in individual policy papers produced under the direction of their assigned supervisors. The policy papers by the graduating fellows cover a diverse set of topics, ranging from artificial intelligence, disease-containment strategies, air quality, food security, to job creation, gender equity, and industrial policy.
“The Policy Registry is a digital repository designed to improve public access to policy documents, reports, frameworks, strategies and other governance resources. By bringing policy documents together in a searchable and accessible format, the platform aims to support research, policymaking, public learning and institutional memory. The platform also incorporates AI-enabled search tools to improve the discovery and use of policy resources.
“On its part, the Local Governance Accountability (LGA) portal is intended to improve access to local governance data across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas (LGAs). The platform provides users with historical and current data on FAAC allocations to the local councils, profiles of the LGAs, information on elected officials, and data visualisation tools for research, analysis and citizen engagement”, the film production expert added.
According to her, the LGA portal was developed by Agora Policy in partnership with The Cable, the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI), and the Punch Media Foundation to promote greater transparency, accountability and public participation in local governance by empowering citizens and civic groups with accessible and user-friendly data.
She stated that the launch of the two platforms and the graduation of the second cohort of the fellowship reflected Agora Policy’s strong commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s policy ecosystem and facilitating evidence-led policymaking and policy engagement in the country.
Wale-Banmore disclosed that the programme would feature demonstrations of both digital platforms, reflections on the importance of public access to governance and policy information, and presentation of certificates to the graduating fellows.
