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The Young Leaders Network (YLN) has called for stronger citizen participation in the budget and development planning process in Plateau State, urging communities to clearly identify, document and communicate their priority needs to government.
The call was made on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during a stakeholders’ roundtable on strengthening the integration of Community Charters of Demands (CCDs) into planning and budgeting in the state.
The engagement, organised by YLN with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), was aimed at promoting greater citizen participation in the state budget process and ensuring that community priorities are reflected in government plans and budgets.
Speaking at the event, Plateau State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Ishaku Maren, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to incorporating citizens’ needs into the budgeting process.
Maren disclosed that the state had already commenced consultations ahead of the 2027 budget, with community leaders being engaged to identify and communicate the needs of their communities.
“The first thing we start with is citizens’ engagement. There is a point in time where citizens, most especially community leaders, will be invited to interact with us so that we get to know their felt needs,” he said.
According to the Commissioner, the integration of Community Charters of Demands would promote ownership, accountability and informed decision-making in the allocation of public resources.
Also speaking, YLN Executive Director, Seun Onarinde, said the roundtable was designed to equip citizens with the knowledge and tools required to effectively present their priorities to government at both state and local government levels.
Onarinde advised communities to identify their three most pressing development needs, document them through Community Charters of Demands and submit them to the relevant government agencies.
“It ensures that government is able to budget for the needs of the communities and able to meet those needs,” he said.
He noted that YLN had continued to promote citizen participation through initiatives including citizens’ budgets, the MyGovWatch platform and joint monitoring missions.
Onarinde urged citizens not to withdraw from the civic space, stressing that sustained engagement was necessary to make the budget process more open and responsive.
“The more we engage, the more the budget process becomes open. So I will not encourage citizens to pull back but rather to engage further so that the civic space can open up for engagement,” he added.
The OGP Secretariat in Abuja, represented by Uche Arisuku, also highlighted practical entry points for integrating Community Charters of Demands into state and local government development planning, sectoral planning, budget preparation, public consultations and implementation monitoring.
Arisuku stressed the importance of creating effective links between community priorities and government planning processes to ensure that citizens’ demands translate into measurable development outcomes.
The District Head of Nabor Gwong, Bala Haruna, commended YLN and its partners for organising the engagement, describing citizen participation as critical to achieving responsive and accountable governance.
The roundtable ended with stakeholders resolving to strengthen citizens’ engagement in the budget process and promote the wider adoption of Community Charters of Demands as a tool for ensuring that government plans and budgets reflect the actual needs of communities across Plateau State.
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Nigeria’s Christian Leaders to Unite in Abuja for First Lausanne Congress in Over 10 Years (Register Now)
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions has announced plans to convene about 5,000 church leaders, missionaries, theological educators, young Christian leaders and marketplace professionals at the first national Lausanne gathering in Nigeria in more than a decade.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress 2026 is scheduled to hold from October 27 to 30 at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, under the theme, “Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together.”
According to the organisers, registration for the four-day congress is now open, with delegates expected from major Christian denominations and all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
The congress represents Nigeria’s national expression of the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, which brought together more than 5,000 Christian leaders from over 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024.
The organisers said the Abuja gathering would provide a platform for church leaders and mission practitioners to strengthen collaboration and develop strategies for advancing Christian mission in Nigeria and beyond.
The four-day programme will feature plenary teaching, issue network deliberations, intercessory prayer, intergenerational dialogue and a public commissioning.
Discussions will focus on a range of issues, including frontier missions and unreached peoples, theological education, faith in the public square, business as mission, media and digital innovation, diaspora and migration, as well as student and youth ministry.
Speaking on the significance of the congress, National Chairman of Lausanne Nigeria and General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr, described Nigeria as both a mission field and an emerging mission force.
“Nigeria is no longer merely a mission field. She is a mission force. More than fifteen thousand Nigerian missionaries are already serving in over fifty countries, while within our own borders more than forty peoples still wait for the gospel,” he said.
Nmadu stressed that the congress was designed to bring together the wider Nigerian Church rather than a select group of Christian leaders.
“This Congress is not for a select few. It is for the whole Church, the whole gospel, the whole world,” he added.
Also speaking, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions, Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, called for greater unity and collaboration among Christian denominations, mission agencies and generations of leaders.
“For too long we have laboured in parallel. Denominations building alone. Agencies running alone. Generations praying alone. This is our God-given moment to come together as one body, one gospel and one mission force for the nations,” Ndukuba said.
The Lausanne Movement traces its roots to the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, convened by renowned evangelist Billy Graham.
The gathering brought together about 2,400 Christian leaders from 150 nations and resulted in the Lausanne Covenant, which was drafted under the chairmanship of British theologian and pastor John R. W. Stott.
The organisers said the partnership between Graham and Stott helped shape the global mission movement for decades, with subsequent milestones including the Manila Manifesto of 1989, the Cape Town Commitment of 2010 and the Seoul Statement of 2024.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress follows a series of activities aimed at strengthening collaboration among Nigerian church, mission and marketplace leaders.
In March 2026, Lausanne Nigeria hosted the Global Executive Director of the Lausanne Movement, Dr. Michael Oh, in Abuja for a Global Mission Conversation focused on strategic collaboration for global impact.
The October congress is expected to build on that engagement by bringing the conversation to a wider national platform.
Registration Opens
Delegate registration for the congress is currently open and will close on September 30, 2026.
Nigerian delegates are required to pay ₦50,000, while international delegates will pay US$200.
The organisers said group registration is available for denominations, mission agencies, seminaries and professional fellowships sending multiple delegates.
They also announced that sponsorship opportunities are available to support participation by frontier missionaries, younger leaders and delegates from under-resourced regions.
Institutions interested in deeper involvement can also apply to serve as Hosting Organisations for the congress.
Further information and registration details are available through the Lausanne Nigeria platform.
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions said it is the national expression of the global Lausanne Movement in Nigeria and operates as a registered Incorporated Trustee based in Abuja.
Its Board of Trustees is chaired by Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, while Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr chairs the National Leadership. Dr. Joshua Utele chairs the Central Planning Committee for the 2026 congress.
The global Lausanne Movement is a fellowship of Christian leaders committed to advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in every nation and sphere of society. It is led by Global Executive Director, Dr. Michael Oh.
For Enquiry call: +234 803 960 8804 or +234 803 973 2643.
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