CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY: ASSESSING THE ROLE OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS IN RIVERS STATE, 2011 – 2025

Despite growing advocacy for participatory governance, many local governments in Nigeria continue to face challenges of low citizen participation, weak communication systems, and administrative inefficiencies. In Rivers State, accountability gaps, limited access to information and inadequate citizen involvement in decision-making remains a significant concern. This study therefore examined the relationship between citizen engagement, and government transparency, focusing on the mediating role of effective public communication in local government councils in Rivers State, Nigeria, from 2011 to 2025. Grounded in Participatory Governance and Agenda-Setting theories. A mixedmethods approach was adopted, using interview and questionnaire data from 346 respondents comprising local government officials, community leaders, civil society actors, and residents selected across four local government councils, and complemented by documentary analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation. The findings showed that ineffective public communication demonstrates a limited mediating role due to challenges such as political interference, bureaucratic delays, infrastructural gaps, and low public awareness. The study thus concluded that citizen participation may not yield lasting institutional impact when communication channels are ineffective or poorly coordinated. consequently, the study recommends a well-structured communication units staffed with trained professionals, policies to safeguard the autonomy of communication channels, devoid of influence by political actors, the prioritization of the allocation of resources on investment in digital platforms to enhance access to information and communication across urban and rural communities, routine public sensitization programs by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on governance processes, transparency initiatives, and opportunities for citizens participation in the affairs of local government councils in Rivers State.