Shehu Sani Launches Street Parliament, Says Town Hall Is ‘Deceptive, Stage Managed’

Posted By Trace Reporter on August 9, 2016

 The lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone, Senator Shehu Sani, has launched street parliament in the seven local government areas under the district, where he held open street meetings with hundreds of residents in Nassarawa community and Argungu/Abeokuta streets.

He told members of his constituents at the meeting that he would intervene in their cases by ensuring that their grievances are redressed.

Sani stated that if true democracy is to thrive in the country, governance must be brought down to the people through streets parliament, noting that the town hall meetings organised by some governors and public office holders have not been able to produce any tangible result as they were “stage-managed”.


He enjoined public office holders both in the state and the country at large to bring governance closer to Nigerians in order to feel their plights following the socio-economic crisis in Nigeria with a view to addressing them.

According to the lawmaker, “Street Parliament is a new concept directed to develop an open interaction between the governed and the government. What some people call town hall meeting is deceptive and a stage managed forum where they listen to what they want to hear.

“What they call town hall involves inviting people to a hall. But this strategy of street parliament is bringing the government to your door step, streets and possibly to your houses. By these ideas, it means listening to your complaints, your views, ideas and suggestions on governance. And it also involves carrying you along in the process of law making.

“That is what street parliament is all about. It is a new concept of developing a continuous relationship between the electorate and people who are elected into public offices. By interacting with you, I will listen to you all; I will carry your ideas along to the Senate. And also, I will listen to complaints and grievances.


“In a town hall meeting, you can only go there if you are invited and there are questions you cannot ask and there are questions that are stage managed and circulated to cronies to ask. But, in street parliament, it means coming to you directly and hearing from you, unlike in the past when you see government at a distance point.”