A new digital platform designed to assess the performance of federal lawmakers has been unveiled in Abuja, with a promise to strengthen transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Abbas Tajudeen, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation, Hart Cyril, said the initiative would promote democratic growth and ensure lawmakers align legislative priorities with citizens’ needs.
The platform, known as the NASS Barometer, is an initiative of the Erudite Growth and Advancement Foundation (ERGAF-AFRICA).
It is designed to track and evaluate the plenary performance of all 469 members of the National Assembly, providing citizens with an accessible tool to interrogate the productivity of their representatives.
According to ERGAF-AFRICA President, Dr. Chibuzo Okereke, the platform contains a comprehensive database of lawmakers’ activities, systematically tracking motions, debates, petitions, points of order, committee reports, ministerial confirmations, and bills—both establishment and amendment—among other legislative actions.
In his keynote address, the Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, represented by Dr. Shuaibu Danwanki, described the legislature as the backbone of democracy, stressing that no nation can achieve sustainable growth without a functional parliament.
Other speakers at the unveiling called for increased support for civic-tech initiatives that enhance governance while urging lawmakers to be more accountable to their constituents.
Reporting by Tanimu Salihu