Federal Constituency Town Hall Meeting: As Abak hosts Gov. Umo Eno, Saturday, March 8 

TUESDAY March 4, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
www.thenewsdesk.ng

By Dan ETOKIDEM

On Saturday, March 8, 2025, Abak Local Government will have the honour of hosting Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno and his entourage as the Governor’s proposed Town Hall Meeting to be held on the basis of federal Constituency, kicks off with the maiden edition in Abak federal Constituency, comprising Abak, Etim Ekpo and Ika LGA’s.

The purpose is to create a platform where the state government can present its scorecard to the people of the federal Constituency and seek their opinion based on their NEEDS Assessment on what they want the government to do for them through the instrumentality of the 2026 budget.

Modern democracy, it must be noted is a communicative pulpit between the leaders on one hand and the people on the other hand. This is why the concept of frequent interface is crucial to help build trust, confidence and acceptability. This explains why plans by the Umo Eno led administration to commence the hosting of Town Hall Meetings across the 10 Federal Constituencies in the state is commendable.

Starting from March 8, 2025, the government will be hosting these Town Hall series across the 10 Federal Constituencies in the state which are; Abak Federal Constituency, Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Uyo Federal Constituency, Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency and Etinan Federal Constituency

Others include Oruk Anam/Ukanafun Federal Constituency, Ikon/Ini Federal Constituency, Oron Federal Constituency, Eket federal Constituency and Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency.

Historically, the first Town Halls were held by the Greeks thousands of years ago as a way to give citizens a voice and a role in government. Today, the core principle of a Town Hall remains the same- Participation.

Town hall meetings are a key component of democratic governance. They are an opportunity for leaders and the people to come together as a team, engage in open conversation, and share updates, successes, and any concerns that have cropped up along the way. It is a chance where policy announcements are made, updates shared, and for open dialogue and conversation to be had.

A town hall meeting is a public meeting where community members come together to discuss and address various topics of interest or concern. It is a forum for open dialogue and engagement between the community and their representatives or government.

Town Hall Meetings helps facilitate direct communication, promote transparency, foster civic participation, provides an opportunity for community members to express their opinions, ask questions, share ideas, and provide feedback on issues that affect their lives and the community as a whole.

Town hall meetings can cover a wide range of topics, such as local governance, public policies, community development, social issues, public safety, infrastructure, education, and more. They are often organized by governmental bodies, elected officials, or community organizations to gather input, gather consensus, or disseminate information to the public.

Town hall meetings are always moderated to ensure that the discussion stays focused, allows equal participation, and maintains respectful dialogue. Participants can typically ask questions, raise concerns, propose solutions, or share personal experiences related to the topics under discussion. Sometimes, experts or panelists may be invited to provide insights and expertise on specific subjects.

Overall, town hall meetings serve as a platform for democratic engagement, encouraging community involvement, and fostering a sense of shared responsibility and collaboration in addressing local issues.

Back home, as far as Governor Umo Eno is concerned, gone are the days politicians sit in Uyo and influence what goes into the budget whether they are relevant to the needs of the people or not.

One of the major takeaways of the proposed Town Hall Meeting is that the Governor in his determined effort to chart a new course that clearly depart from the past, has returned power back to the people, by adopting the bottom-top approach where the NEEDS of the people as demanded for by the people themselves will form the basis, foundation and guiding principle in preparing the 2026 Akwa Ibom State budget.

That way, from the outcome of these Town Hall Meetings, next years budget will take into account the local peculiarities of the people because what affects the people of Essien Udim LGA, may not be a priority to the people of Ikot Ekpene Udo, in Nsit Ubium LGA, or those residing in the fishing communities in Oron or the rice farmlands of ni LGA or the marginal oil fields of Ibeno in LGA.

The philosophy behind Governor Umo Eno’s proposed Town hall meetings are embedded in its ability to situate everyone within the wider picture, thus ultimately building a sense of community and camaraderie within the political ecosystem because the Governor believes that these Town Hall convergence is a form of participatory democracy model where the citizens can have the power to influence policy decisions.

The convergence emphasizes the broad participation of Akwa Ibom people in the politics of the state with an anticipated outcome that will be used as a tool to address some of the issues that are impacting people’s lives because as far as the Governor is concerned, in order to acknowledge the relevance of public opinion, civic engagement or citizen engagement town hall meetings should be introduced at the federal constituency level to promote transparency and openness.

The Advantages of the Proposed Town Hall Meetings include; Team spirit and community, boosted motivation,.open dialogue, citizens buy-in, innovation and collective decision making, among others.

Governor Umo Eno believes no one has the monopoly of knowledge and given their local knowledge and lived experiences, a community can have a more accurate perspective on an issue than the government, thus participatory democracy which a Town Hall setting represents gives government and policymakers the opportunity to listen more broadly to the community, gather more information and come up with more robust and resilient solutions.

In order for participatory democracy to work, the ability to shape the future needs to become baked into the community’s psyche. Governments need to create space for citizens and organizations to voice their opinions while demonstrating effective outcomes to the community so that they trust that their input makes a positive difference.

Governments need to engage people in decisions consistently, considering who needs to be involved, for what purpose, and at what level. Representative groups also need to be given the tools to understand the content of the debate and given equal access through a variety of engagement methods to express their views. These are what the Town hall meetings seeks to achieve.

In the end, these Town Hall meetings will help the Akwa Ibom State Government in information dissemination, alignment of citizens needs with government’s projections, serve as morale building mechanism, foster better relations between the government and the people at the grassroot, serve as a platform for empowerment, enhance inclusion, help build trust, Increase transparency and accountability, foster unity and peace and above all, help gauge and monitor the mood of the people on policy impact and guide government to evaluate its programmes and policies.