Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has called for stronger collaboration between the National Assembly and civil society organizations, CSOs, to strengthen legislative oversight and ensure government policies, budgets and projects benefit Nigerians.

Dogara, at the National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, said oversight should expose corruption, waste and poor implementation, urging lawmakers to pay as much attention to monitoring budget execution as they do to passing appropriation bills.

He described CSOs as key partners in democratic governance, saying they provide credible information for tracking public spending and constituency projects. He also urged the executive to cooperate with oversight institutions and support transparency.

House of Representatives Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, and Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, also called for stronger citizen engagement and collaboration with civil society to promote accountability, transparency and effective legislative oversight.

** Illustrative photograph