The Steward Award which is a data-driven platform created to recognise and celebrate impactful leadership and governance performance across Nigeria, has been unveiled in Lagos.
This is to ensure that the government at the grassroots remain accountable, responsible and transparent to the locality they serve.
In an interview with journalists after the launch of the project in Lagos, the Director of Government Relations of The Steward Award project, Mrs Eva James, disclosed that the Award is a structural opportunity for the visibility, recognition and validation of the governance performance at the grassroots level.
“Now that the local government have financial autonomy and are in charge of the billions of naira allocation that enter in their accounts, it becomes pertinent that the grassroots should know how that money is been expended”.
“Now, what they are doing is all it takes to be recognised; it needs to be visible.
Some are actually working in silence and doing big projects, but nobody knows what they are doing, while some are not even working at all; they only make noise and blow their trumpets.
There are also some that do projects for the sake of doing projects; they leave the pressing needs of the communities and focus on the projects that are cost-effective for them so that they can save more money.” Eva James said.
She added that the Steward Award project is introducing a bottom-to-top approach, which is a verification approach where they don’t only depend on the public report but will also have their assessment team that will work with field monitors that would also go to that community to see for themselves.
“We will conduct community-based verification and deploy a digital tools platform for the citizens to submit their support evidence and testimonies of the project that is being done in their areas and also vote.
So, by the time they submit and we verify it. It will show that the project impacted the lives of the people.”
“Now you don’t pay to be nominated or awarded; it is your people that will nominate you because they feel that what you are doing or did is worth that award.” She said
The media head of the Steward Award Mr Bolaji Fasomade, said the vision of the project is to create a national standard for recognising governance and leadership based on measurable impacts.
Fasomade said the award is specifically for the local government chairmen, state ministries, departments and agencies. in Nigeria, but they are starting with the 57 local governments in Lagos State.
The Steward Award event, which is scheduled to hold on the 5th of December 2026, will feature an award ceremony honouring exceptional public service performance.
