Scope: Consultant to Develop Radio Edutainment Series

Location: Remote, Nigeria

Application Close: November 15, 2024

Background/Context

Parliament plays a vital role in any democracy, serving as a bridge between the people, the government, and the state. An effective parliament amplifies citizens’ voices and ensures governance reflects their needs and aspirations. To be truly representative, active citizen engagement with their representatives is essential. Such engagement fosters participation in governance and strengthens accountability.

In countries like Nigeria, with a history of colonialism and authoritarianism, there exists a significant disconnect between citizens and their elected officials. This gap often results in mistrust, lack of transparency, and weak accountability, contributing to governance failures and underdevelopment. It is, therefore, crucial to promote platforms for active engagement, where citizens can voice their concerns, hold the government accountable, and demand more from their representatives in the National Assembly.

The 10th Assembly of Nigeria’s House of Representatives has committed to public accountability and engagement, as reflected in its Legislative Agenda. It emphasizes the importance of involving citizens in the legislative process and proudly refers to itself as “The People’s House,” aiming to embody the will and aspirations of the public. However, decades of authoritarian rule in Nigeria and a lack of awareness among citizens about their constitutional rights to participate in governance have hindered the development of a culture of accountability.

Additional barriers such as illiteracy, geographical distance, lack of functional constituency offices, the absence of local government, and limited access to information technology further impede meaningful citizen engagement. Recognizing these challenges, Global Rights, in partnership with the Project Coordination Unit of the House of Representatives, is seeking a consultant to develop a radio edutainment series that informs citizens about their rights and duties to interact with the Legislature at both the Federal and State levels. The series, called “Your House,” will focus on the workings and functions of the legislative arm of government at both the state and federal levels. It will present critical information to the citizenry about engaging with their legislators in the law-making process. It will also inform members of the legislature of their responsibilities under a democratic system of governance to engage with their constituents regularly and productively while striving to craft laws transparently.

Objectives

• Raise Awareness of Parliamentary Functions: Educate citizens about the roles and responsibilities of the federal and state legislatures, highlighting how parliament works and its relevance to their lives.
• Promote Citizen Engagement with Legislators: Inform citizens about their rights and responsibilities in engaging with lawmakers, encouraging them to participate in the legislative process. The series will inform the citizenry on how they can engage with their lawmakers productively and efficiently.
• Foster Accountability and Transparency: Educate legislators on their democratic duties to engage regularly and transparently with constituents, promoting accountability in the law-making process.
• Address Barriers to Civic Participation: Bridge the gap between marginalized groups and their parliament by simplifying the process of engagement for them.
• Craft Strategies to Improve Engagement: The series will provide strategies the Nigerian legislature could adopt to make themselves more available to their constituents. These strategies, while informed by legislative standards and best practices currently practiced in other democracies, will be adapted to suit the Nigerian context.

Scope of Work
The consultancy will involve the following tasks:

• Create scripts for 12 episodes of the radio series titled “Your House” that explain the roles and responsibilities of the legislature at both the federal and state levels. The episodes will inform citizens about their rights and duties in engaging with their representatives in the legislative process and present legislative procedures in simple, relatable language that makes them accessible to a wide audience.
• Record and produce the series.

Deliverables
The consultancy will deliver the following outputs:

• Scripts for 12 episodes of the radio series “Your House.”
• 12 completed episodes of the radio series “Your House.”

Intellectual Property Rights
All intellectual property rights arising from the consultancy will be the property of Global Rights. The consultant will not disclose or use any confidential information obtained during the consultancy for any other purpose without the written consent of Global Rights.

Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations
The consultant will ensure that all data collected during the consultancy is treated with the utmost confidentiality and in accordance with ethical principles. In particular, the consultant will obtain informed consent from all participants before collecting any data and will ensure that data is stored securely and only accessible to authorized personnel. The team will also comply with relevant legal and ethical standards and report any ethical concerns or violations to Global Rights immediately.

Expected Qualifications

• An understanding of the concepts underpinning the intervention, including but not limited to the legislative framework in Nigeria, including federal and state legislative processes, citizen rights to participation, and representative responsibilities.
• Media production expertise, including but not limited to experience in writing scripts, and producing or designing edutainment content, particularly for radio or other accessible media platforms.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, displaying an ability to convey complex governance concepts in clear, engaging, and relatable language, especially for audiences with limited literacy or civic knowledge.
• Experience in creating content that resonates with diverse audiences.

Reporting
The consultant will report to the team at Global Rights, particularly the Executive Director, Program Manager, and Program Officer on Civic Space Strengthening.

Proposal Submission
Interested qualified consultants are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

• An understanding of the requirements.
• Methodology and work plan for performing the assignment.
• Project delivery plans.
• Budget.
• Relevant services undertaken in the past with a detailed reference list indicating the scope of similar assignments.

Please note that we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted