When candidate Seyi Makinde was campaigning to be governor of Oyo State in 2018, he made a promise to the people of the state in an open letter. He wrote, “An effective feedback system will be put in place so that I am informed about the governance challenges faced by students, youths, adults, and the vulnerable people among us. Together we will build a new Oyo State where everyone is an important stakeholder.”
After Makinde became governor, he fulfilled this promise by putting in place a robust feedback system for Oyo State. On social media, there is the Oyo State Government Feedback Service. In addition, Makinde holds media chats where the people of Oyo State home and abroad can call him to ask about any governance issues. The government also holds town hall meetings at zonal and local government levels to give more people at the grassroots opportunities to interact with them and discuss their pain points.
The Oyo State Government Feedback Service is available Monday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp. Citizens of Oyo State are encouraged to share their complaints, feedback, enquiries or suggestions about governance issues in the state. The service then escalates the issues and provides feedback and resolutions.
This means that citizens are able to reach the government every working day and on Saturdays to raise any governance issues in the state. And for those who may wish to reach the service confidentially, the Oyo State Government Feedback Service also provides an avenue through private/direct messages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter while of course, the WhatsApp platform is one on one messaging.
As one Oyo State citizen who used the service stated, ‘a responsible government should be close to the governed and the community’.
Anyone who follows the feedback service will also be kept informed about governance activities by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Oyo State. There is also a blog – feedbackoysg.com. which provides a valuable resource to residents seeking information about the government’s actions. A cursory look shows that there are updates provided on infrastructure projects in the state. One can also read all the reports of the sittings by the Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality.
It is not hard to see that this service is indeed playing a big role in bringing governance to the people of Oyo State. Running a search on the handle on Twitter and Facebook shows the sheer number of people who reach out to the authorities on these platforms. Everything from complaints about infrastructure, waste management and security, to enquiries about how to contact MDAs and submit proposals to government agencies are all attended to by the service.
Their characteristic, “Thank you for contacting us. Your complaint will be forwarded to appropriate authorities to look into,” sometimes sounds robotic and has led critics to claim that the feedback service does not resolve issues brought to its attention by residents of the state. They also say the platform exists only to provide PR for the government by showcasing projects being executed in the state. However, this view is not supported by evidence.
Because the platforms operate most the service in the public space [there have been instances where they have asked people to send them DMs], it is possible to see responses from people whose issues have been resolved.
And if the service is purely PR, one wonders why other state governments have not replicated the service despite repeated requests by residents of their respective states. Surely, if it were such a PR masterstroke, other state governments would have copied it to take advantage of it.
Instead, for the past 2 years, the Oyo State Government Feedback service remains a lone wolf in providing an easily accessible avenue through which the residents of the state can reach the government. Perhaps, it is the scrutiny and accountability that comes with running this service that has kept other states at bay. Because, come to think of it, providing a feedback system for citizens will inadvertently lead to publicising gaps in governance through complaints.
Another criticism of the service is that some complaints take too long to be resolved. People believe that when they call attention to a bad road or a dilapidated school, prompt action should be taken by the government. Yes, the government can provide quicker resolutions to governance issues raised by citizens. Be that as it may, calling the attention of the government is a first step to ensuring that the issue is looked into.
The Oyo State Government Feedback Service is indeed a novelty in a nation where once leaders get into power, they become detached from the everyday issues that affect the citizens. We can rightly say that by providing the Oyo State Government Feedback Service, Governor Seyi Makinde is setting the pace in responsive and accountable governance and showing his commitment to redefining good governance in Nigeria.