IMPLEMENTATION OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC POLICY IN AREA COUNCILS OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

Abstract

This study examined the state of citizen participation and public policy implementation in the six area councils of Abuja’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Although the Area Councils constitute the tier of government most proximate to residents, the recurrent failure of their policies and programs raises the question of the extent to which residents participate in the decisions that govern their communities. The study determined the extent of citizen participation in policy formulation, the extent of community involvement in policy execution, the adequacy of citizen feedback and evaluation mechanisms, residents’ access to policy information, and the level of public policy implementation. A descriptive survey design was adopted. From a population of 1,404,990 residents, a sample of 400 was determined by the Taro Yamane formula and allocated proportionally across the six councils by Bowley’s formula, from which 365 valid responses were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and item-level one-sample t-tests against the criterion mean of 2.50 (df = 364). The four participation constructs recorded grand means of 2.03, 2.21, 1.82, and 1.92, respectively, and public policy implementation recorded 2.16. Of the 26 indicators, 24 were significantly below the criterion mean, and all five null hypotheses were rejected. The two exceptions are material to the argument, since residents’ contribution of labor, materials, and ideas to project execution stood significantly above the criterion (M = 2.88, t = 8.24, p < .001) whereas their compliance with council policies proved statistically indistinguishable from it (M = 2.49, t = -0.24, p = .812). Every indicator measuring the provision made by the councils to citizens was significantly deficient, whereas neither indicator measured the contribution of citizens to the councils. The study recommended that the Area Councils should institutionalize statutory pre-budget