Participatory Communication In Parliament-constituents Relations A Study Of The Voice And Accountability Mechanisms In The Kaduna State House Of Assembly

Over the years scholars have researched this concept and came to an understanding that democracy isinextricable from communication. Communication enhances democracy, facilitates interaction,inclusiveness and participation engendering representative democracy but this is not the case withKaduna in particular. Therefore, this study examines the nature of the relationship between theparliament and constituents of the Kaduna State‘s House of Assembly. It studies the communicationpattern between members of parliament and their constituents and attempts to show how the concernsand voice of the people are articulated side-by-side the accountability mechanisms between the peopleand their representatives. This research is based on the normative theory of participatory developmentcommunication known as the multiplicity paradigm. The study was a survey research method thatmade use of both quantitative and qualitative instruments namely the questionnaire and in-depthinterviews techniques. The descriptive method was employed in analyzing data in this study for easycomprehension. In analyzing the data, SPSS version 20 was used. A theoretical mean of 3.0 was takenas a criterion to judge the mean for the items in the structured questionnaire having five Likert format.From the analyses of the data and information, the study found that there are participatorycommunication mechanisms that could be used to enhance participatory legislation. However, thechallenge to this has been largely the exclusion of the people from this process of participation therebyrendering the mechanism ineffective. The study recommended that, there should an increase ofinclusion and access to existing participatory communication channels in the Assembly likeconstituency meetings, including other participatory communication channels like the traditionalcommunication channels of folklores, dances etc. This in turn would not only legitimize the legislativeprocess, it engenders voice and accountability but also lead to sustainable democratic development inthe long run. Thus, the study advanced the use of communication model which stirs and stimulatesrepresentative participation in the legislative process and improves the inclusiveness of the people‘svoices in the process and holds representatives accountable.

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