Funmi Ogundare
Former Ogun State Governor and senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has known as on governments in any respect ranges to strengthen accountability, transparency and grassroots participation to rebuild public belief in authorities.
Daniel, who made the decision Wednesday whereas delivering the keynote handle on the third version of Nigeria Grassroots Governance Summit and Awards (NIGGSA) 2026, in Lagos, mentioned public confidence may solely be sustained by accountable management, efficient service supply and measurable enhancements in residents’ welfare.
He spoke on the theme, ‘Focusing on Community Policing, Building Trust at the Grassroots.’
Daniel, who was represented by a former Commissioner for Special Duty in Ogun State, Akogun Kolapo Onadipe, defined that democracy goes past the conduct of periodic elections.
He acknowledged that whereas elections conferred legitimacy on authorities, efficiency was important to sustaining it.
“My central message today is simple: Trust is the foundation of good governance, accountability is its currency, and service to the people is its ultimate test,” he mentioned.
He famous that residents anticipated governments to supply safety, create financial alternatives, enhance infrastructure, strengthen training and healthcare, and be certain that public assets had been deployed for the frequent good.
He warned that repeated unfulfilled guarantees may erode public confidence, discourage funding, weaken civic participation and widen the hole between authorities establishments and the individuals they had been established to serve.
According to him, rebuilding public belief shouldn’t be handled as a public relations train however as a deliberate dedication to transparency, accountable management and measurable outcomes.
“The people must not merely hear their government; they must experience its impact in their daily lives,” he acknowledged.
The former governor recognized grassroots governance as a important place to begin for constructing public confidence, noting that residents usually assessed authorities efficiency by their on a regular basis experiences with public companies and infrastructure.
Daniel known as for the strengthening of native governments by ample empowerment, skilled administration and accountability, urging authorities to make sure that improvement initiatives mirrored the wants and priorities of the communities they served.
He added that group engagement ought to lengthen past ceremonial consultations to supply residents with significant alternatives to establish their wants, contribute to improvement priorities and monitor the implementation of public initiatives.
“Policies are more effective when they respond to actual needs rather than assumptions made from a distance,” he mentioned.
On transparency and accountability, the previous governor urged governments to make openness a elementary precept of public administration, noting that residents had the best to know the way public assets had been generated, allotted and utilised.
Earlier in her remarks, the Convener, Oluwatomisin Adebukola Badewole, known as for stronger group policing and better native authorities autonomy, saying poor governance and insufficient safety on the grassroots are undermining public belief and democratic accountability.
She mentioned the summit would develop a coverage paper and proposed invoice for presentation to the National Assembly to handle safety challenges, strengthen group participation in governance and bridge the hole between native governments and conventional establishments.
According to her, the initiative is geared toward addressing democratic attrition, the gradual erosion of accountability, transparency and public participation in governance, notably on the native authorities degree.
Badewole, who can also be the Executive Director of Hope for the Masses Foundation, mentioned many communities throughout Nigeria remained uncared for regardless of the constitutional tasks of native governments in main training, healthcare, group safety, environmental administration and rural improvement.
She attributed the state of affairs not solely to insufficient administrative capability but in addition to an absence of political will amongst these accountable for delivering governance on the grassroots.
The convener acknowledged: “The summit’s first version in 2024 assessed native authorities service supply towards parameters aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with solely seven of Lagos State’s 57 native governments and native council improvement areas scoring above common and receiving awards.
“In 2025, the summit focused on building the capacity of aspiring local government officeholders, particularly councillors and chairmanship candidates, to improve their understanding of legislative responsibilities and effective governance.”
She defined that the 2 editions had laid the inspiration for a proposed grassroots governance accountability mannequin, a framework designed to allow communities, youth teams, journalists, civil society organisations and native leaders to watch governance and maintain public officers accountable.
“This year’s focus is community policing, building trust at the grassroots, and ensuring we bridge the gap between local governments and traditional institutions,” she mentioned.
Badewole recognized monetary autonomy as a important think about efficient native authorities administration, arguing that native authorities chairmen couldn’t fulfil their constitutional tasks if funds meant for his or her councils failed to achieve them.
Also talking, the previous Deputy Inspector-General of Police (rtd), Adeleye Olusola Oyebade, emphasised the necessity for a shift from reactive safety operations to community-based policing, urging conventional rulers, native authorities authorities, youth and girls teams, and safety companies to strengthen collaboration, intelligence sharing and public belief to deal with insecurity in Nigeria.
He acknowledged that the nation’s safety framework should prioritise crime prevention, early identification of threats and the decision of native grievances relatively than relying predominantly on arrests, investigations and the deployment of safety personnel after felony incidents had occurred.
According to him, group policing goes past establishing vigilante teams or deploying extra patrol groups, because it requires belief, partnership and shared duty between residents {and professional} safety companies.
He mentioned: “Security is not merely the absence of threats; it is the presence of trust, cooperation and collective responsibility.”
The former police chief famous that households, farmers, merchants and schoolchildren deserved to stay, work and pursue their actions with out worry, stressing that attaining this required a coordinated strategy involving all stakeholders.
