Gere Consult Concludes 10-day Legislative Capacity Workshop for Councillors, Pushes Stronger Grassroots Governance In Nigeria

By Ezekiel Kagbala

UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE — Gere Consulting Associates Limited has concluded a 10-Day National Legislative Capacity Development Workshop for Local Government Councillors, with a renewed call for stronger legislative competence, accountability and effective representation at the grassroots.

The workshop was held in two phases: Port Harcourt, Rivers State from Monday, 17th to Friday, 21st August, 2026, and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State from Monday, 24th to Friday, 28th August, 2026.  

It was organised under the theme, “Strengthening Grassroots Governance: Advanced Legislative Skills for Effective Local Representation.”

Participants were drawn from several South-South states including Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers, as part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of elected local government legislators to perform their constitutional and representative responsibilities more effectively.

The programme was facilitated by Gere Consulting Associates Limited in partnership with Millennium Consulting, following approval secured from the Chairman, House Committee on States and Local Government, Federal House of Representatives, National Assembly, Abuja, to organise the national capacity development programme for local government councillors nationwide.

The initiative is aimed at improving legislative service delivery at the local government level by equipping councillors with practical knowledge and skills required for effective representation, legislative scrutiny and oversight.

The workshop also received institutional backing from the House of Representatives Committee on States and Local Governments, reflecting growing recognition of the need to strengthen local councils as a critical component of Nigeria’s democratic system.

In a goodwill message delivered at the Port Harcourt session, the Chairman of the House Committee on States and Local Governments, Hon. Shehu Saleh Rijau*, described the strengthening of grassroots governance as a matter of national democratic importance.

According to him, the local government remains the tier of government closest to the people, making the quality of governance at that level critical to citizens’ perception of democracy.

He identified basic infrastructure, primary healthcare, environmental services, local roads, markets, social development and community engagement as areas where citizens directly encounter government at the grassroots.

The lawmaker stressed that councillors should not view their positions merely as political offices, but as a responsibility to serve as the voice of their communities and a bridge between citizens and government.

A major message from the capacity-building initiative was that effective local representation requires more than winning an election or occupying a seat in a council chamber.

Councillors, according to the workshop’s objectives, need the capacity to understand laws and policies, scrutinise proposals and budgets, conduct meaningful oversight, articulate constituents’ needs, engage stakeholders, resolve conflicts and make decisions in the broader public interest.

Hon. Rijau emphasised that legislative authority is a public trust rather than a personal privilege, urging elected representatives to use their positions to protect vulnerable citizens, promote accountability and advance inclusive development.

He challenged participants to return to their respective councils with more than certificates, stating that the ultimate measure of the training should be improved governance and tangible benefits for constituents.

The workshop emphasised legislative competence against the backdrop of concerns about the effectiveness of grassroots governance in Nigeria.

The Committee Chairman called for local councils where legislative debates are informed, laws and resolutions are purposeful, oversight is effective, public resources are responsibly managed, and citizens are treated as partners in development.

He further urged councillors to promote a governance culture in which “accountability replaces impunity, competence replaces complacency, inclusion replaces exclusion, and service replaces self-interest.”

Organisers and stakeholders positioned the local government as an indispensable platform for translating democratic principles into everyday realities for Nigerians.

While major policy decisions are often associated with federal and state governments, citizens experience government most directly through their local communities.

Consequently, effective local representation can influence the delivery of basic services, community infrastructure, healthcare, environmental management, local economic development and social interventions.

For Gere Consulting Associates Limited and Millennium Consulting, the programme represents an investment in strengthening the institutional capacity of elected grassroots representatives.

The participation of councillors from Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers also gave the programme a South-South dimension, creating an opportunity for participants from different local government environments to exchange experiences and consider common challenges affecting grassroots governance.

As Nigeria continues to focus on strengthening democratic institutions and bringing government closer to citizens, the capacity of local legislators is increasingly being viewed as an important component of effective governance.

The central challenge now is to translate training into practice — ensuring that council chambers become platforms for informed debate, responsible oversight and policies that respond directly to the needs of the people.

For the participants, the conclusion of the 10-day workshop marks not an end, but the beginning of a greater responsibility: to return to their communities equipped to make local representation more effective, accountable and development-oriented.