Religious organisation, community leaders among other stakeholders in Osun State have pledged their readiness to support efforts at demanding transparency and accountability to achieve good governance at the grassroots.

Speaking during various engagements in some local government areas in the state during sessions with advocates of the Osun Open Local Government Project, the stakeholders advocated continuous advocacy to realise the country’s shared dreams of prosperity.

They also canvassed value reorientation for those in leadership positions so that they can be responsible to those who elected them.

At one of the sessions held at the First Baptist Church, Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government area of the state, Revd. J.T. Ojebunmi welcomed the move of the OsunOpenLG  project championed by Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development at pushing the mantra of good governance to the grassroots.

Ojebunmi emphasised the importance of advocacy and enlightenement for the people, especiallt at the level of the church, stressing its pivotal role of bridging the information gap ahead of the February 25, 2025 local government election.

Members of the congregation who lauded the advocacy pledged to use ideas garnered from the session to effectively engage candidates of various political parties in the build up to the next council elections.

Also, OsunOpenLG advocates in Boripe local government visited Bamigbola Agbora Village, Ikire where discussions centered on the need for citizens to shun money politics but demand for a more responsible leadership from those elected to govern them.

Members of the community took turns to ask questions on the aim of the project and got insights as to why civic engagement is at the nexus of briding the gap between the government and the governed, especially with demanding accountability and transparency at the local government level.

Some of the presentations at the engagements included appraising civic engagement, roles of the local government, budget/allocation, civic responsibilit, local government accountability, among others.

By Sodiq Yusuf, Senior Communication Officer