A public affairs advocate, Atoyebi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to decentralise the operations of federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and establish stronger feedback mechanisms to improve citizens’ participation in governance.
Atoyebi made the call while highlighting the need for government institutions to become more accessible and responsive to the concerns of Nigerians, particularly those living outside major administrative centres.
He argued that excessive concentration of government services and decision-making processes at the federal level could make it difficult for citizens in different parts of the country to access essential services and contribute meaningfully to policy discussions.
According to him, decentralising appropriate functions of MDAs would bring government services closer to the people, reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve the efficiency of public institutions.
Atoyebi also urged the Federal Government to establish effective and accessible feedback channels through which citizens can report challenges, make suggestions and assess the performance of government programmes.
He said feedback from citizens should not merely be collected but should form part of the process of evaluating government policies and improving service delivery.
The advocate noted that effective citizen engagement could strengthen public trust and help government agencies identify gaps between policy formulation and implementation.
He further called for the increased use of digital platforms and community-based engagement mechanisms to enable Nigerians, including those in rural areas, to communicate directly with relevant government institutions.
According to him, a functional feedback system would also promote greater transparency and accountability by allowing citizens to monitor government programmes and provide timely information on challenges affecting their communities.
Atoyebi said decentralisation should, however, be accompanied by clear responsibilities, performance monitoring and accountability mechanisms to prevent duplication of functions and misuse of public resources.
He urged the Tinubu administration to strengthen collaboration between federal agencies, state governments, local authorities and community stakeholders in delivering public services.
The call comes amid ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to reform public institutions, improve service delivery and make government programmes more responsive to citizens’ needs.
Atoyebi maintained that governance should be people-centred, arguing that government institutions would perform better when citizens have meaningful opportunities to communicate their experiences and influence improvements.
He therefore encouraged the administration to prioritise reforms that would bring public institutions closer to Nigerians and create a culture in which citizens’ feedback is treated as an important component of effective governance.
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