Participatory Governance
- July 15, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: Political Science
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue VI, June 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705
Saaondo Simon Aondona, Ewuga Lucky Ekka
Department of Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria
Abstract: – An effective way of describing participatory governance is to identify the different levels or degrees at which citizens are involved and participated in the decision-making process and the contribution to the government of the day or a given country. This is possibly cut across in different prospective of citizens’ engagement as allocated to by the constitution and the leadership of the country irrespective of the political system or typology of government. When a government is legitimate, it creates room for citizenry to participate actively in government; this involves different stages and areas where necessary. Thus, citizens participate actively in political process through political education, sponsoring of candidate for electoral post or contesting in an election by vying for an electoral post. However, government on the other side has become totally obsess to the citizens in Nigeria through the doctrine of federal character where the principle of federal character attempt to institutionalizing and the accommodation of the diverse regions/ tribes and interest groups in the country through the process of employment, distribution of government projects, and of allocated federal employment. This ranged from federal agencies, ministerial positions, departments, military, paramilitary, federal government parastatas and political appointees. The political culture of the citizenry which is cardinal faucal of every society that is tagged to the citizen through cognitive orientated, affective orientated and evaluative orientated which propel towards active participatory in government of the state. To this ends, participatory governance involves the reorganization of the citizen’s contribution towards the growth and development of such country. Citizen participation, contribution and involvement in government police process and implementation goes a long way to prove the legitimate of such government. Citizens participatory in governance in vertical axis by implementing government policies as a civil servants and supporting government through the formulation and coordination of decision-making process. When this is done, a participatory is in- fluxes. On this basis, the horizontal intersections can be identified as the core of the participatory governance when government governs according to the constitution space with the higher interaction with the citizens. When this is totally achieved or followed sequentially, such government is said to the participatory governance.
Keywords: Participatory, Governance, Citizens’ Engagement, Inclusiveness, Decision making
