A non-governmental Organization in Bauchi state, Young Leaders Network has organized a community forum that facilitated dialogue between seven contestants of the Bauchi State House of Assembly and their constituents in Kirfi local government area of the state.
The NGO said the interaction was to enable the constituents grill their potential representatives ahead of the Saturday’s Governorship and State Assembly elections in Nigeria.
Mrs. Adebukola Idris Governance Project Coordinator of the NGO said “the essence of these kinds of conversations is to allow people voice out their grievances as it retard their development; interact with their potential lawmakers, so that whoever wins the election should dovetail in their plans, programs that will address the needs of the constituents”.
Mrs.Idris said the Young Leaders Network (YLN)was determine to organize another dialogue after the election to foster what she calls “grassroots participation in governance”.
Various Candidates from the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Sani Muktar Muhammad, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Engr. Ibrahim Muhammad Gidado, All Progressives Congress (APC) Kabiru Bala, Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) Mamuda Muhammad and Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) Comrade Umar . M. Rabi’u were among those grilled by their constituents.
The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was conspicuously absent at the event.
Additional reporting by Haruna Mohammed Salisu
The Young Leaders Network has had series of community engagement in different LGAs of Bauchi state.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Seun Justin Onarinde reiterated the commitment of the organization to expand inclusive governance by ensuring that politicians constantly connect to their constituents.
“we have made efforts, with the support of our donors to ensure that we connect the local people with their elected representatives; we strongly believe that it is the only way to foster accountability and good governance”, Mr. Seun said.
“Our approach is that; by providing a conducive atmosphere for local people to converse with their elected representatives or those willing to represent them, we are equipping both the locals and the politicians to have uniformity of purpose regarding things that impede their development and how to address them”, said Adebukola Idris, Governance Project Coordinator of the organization.
WikkiTimes reports that Some of the selected LGAs were among the least developed in Bauchi state. For instance, in Kirfi LGA, secondary data presented to the candidates while interacting with their constituents indicate that the LGA has only two Medical Doctors, 10 Nurses, one Pharmacist, 29 Traditional Birth Attendants, 93 Community Health Workers and 19 Clerks.
The figures further indicate that public facilities such as schools and hospitals were completely lacking in many communities at the LGA. “These kinds of stories and situations are evident in almost all the LGAs visited so far; it’s quite baffling and we seriously need to do something as urgently as possible”, Seun lamented.
“the pictures are quite pathetic and that is why YLN through the support of our donors is intensifying efforts to empower these communities, so that on their own, they can be able to channel these pathetic statistics to their elected representative”, Adebukola Idris added.
