PLATFORMS FOR PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY

Agora Policy has introduced two digital platforms designed to bolster public accountability in Nigeria: the 'Policy Registry' and the 'Local Governance Accountability (LGA) portal'. Launched in Abuja, these initiatives aim to equip Nigerians with the necessary tools to actively participate in policy matters and hold their leaders responsible.

The LGA portal, considered the more urgent of the two, focuses on the local government tier, which oversees crucial services like primary healthcare, basic education, and sanitation. Historically, this level of government has operated with minimal public scrutiny. The portal offers a centralized, searchable database of allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to all 774 local government areas, covering data from May 1999 to the present.

This extensive dataset, tracking over 3.88 trillion naira across more than 322 months, empowers citizens, journalists, and civil society organizations. Residents can now easily check their local council's financial receipts and compare them with neighboring areas. Journalists can expedite investigations into corruption, and civil society groups can utilize visualization tools to identify disparities between funding and development. The portal also aggregates essential LGA information, including profiles, landmass, population, and details of elected officials, fostering a more informed and engaged citizenry.