As parts of efforts to uplift the local government administration in Anambra state, some organisations have called for the establishment of Citizens Desk Office. OKECHUKWU ONUEGBU reports.
In Nigeria, several efforts have been made by both government and non governmental organisations to rejig the local government system towards providing the needed development at the grassroots.
These include the local government financial autonomy supported by the latest Supreme Court judgment which is why several states are currently in a hurry to conduct council poll before the end of September or October, 2024.
In Anambra state, the State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) is on the move to conduct local government election on September 28, 2024. The development also appeared to be in consonance with the efforts of the Justice Development and Peace Caritas (JDPC) Nnewi, a faith-based civil society group under the Nnewi Diocese of the Catholic church to encourage citizens’ participation in governance.
JDPC, in partnership with Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria is currently intensifying a training and sensitisation campaign across the three local government areas within three senatorial zones to raise awareness about their rights and obligations, contributions towards community development and good governance. The council areas are Ayamelum in Anambra-north, Awka-north in Anambra-central and Nnewi-south in Anambra-south.
The programme manager, EiE, Mr Usen Asanga said the three local governments were selected for the pilot stage, just as the state was chosen as one of the six states for the campaign. Other are Abia, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Ondo and Yobe states. Asanga emphasised that creation of Office of the Citizens (OOTC) Help Desk would help to promote good governance and accountability across the 21 council areas in the state and beyond.
OOTC is to be sited at respective council areas to enable people relate easily with their chairmen and councillors by reporting issues like insecurity, human rights abuses, poorly done or abandoned projects as well as share ideas and ask questions.
Trained volunteers would man the desks to perfectly relate with their fellow citizens with the purposes of eliciting information about their needs and relating them accordingly.
The groups at town-hall meetings with major stakeholders at Awka-north and Nnewi-south LGAs argued that since citizens understand the efforts of the local government authorities to ensure development and good governance, they would also easily assist to combat fake news and express concerns for rapid socio-economic development.
At Ayamelum
At Anaku, the headquarter of Ayamelum, the coming of JDPC and EiE was a blessing in disguise as some parts of the premises of the LG secretariat overtaken by bushes were immediately cleared just as some security men were seeing forcing some office padlocks to open possibly due to loss of the keys.
In other words, many of the offices have not received visitors, including workers for over a year or more. It was further learnt from the villagers that workers mostly come to the office anytime of their choice on Tuesdays and go home anytime.
This was evidence as the town-hall meeting scheduled to hold at 10am later kicked off at 2pm even as most of the invited guests especially communities president general and politicians could not attend, citing one reason or the others. However, the programme recorded the presence of men, women, youth and others from all walks of lives across communities like Anaku, Umueje, Omasi, Igbakwu, Umumbo, Omor, Umuerum and Ifite-Ogwari.
Speaking at the council area, Asanga maintained that successful implementation of Office of the Citizens (OOTC) Help Desk would promote inclusiveness as all members of communities would become directly and indirectly involved in decision making for accountability and good governance.
“We want to bridge the relationship between the local government and the citizens to achieve accountability and good governance for the people. Apart from building their capacities, we want them to be able to articulate their needs and also show them the techniques of engaging the government. We cannot sit down and wait for good governance to be given to us alone. We have to demand for it. We have to contribute our own. The local government is the closest to the people. It is at the grassroots that people should be able to make their voices heard. Our target is to bring government and people together to move society forward,” he stated.
He added that through the partnership programme, EiE would position LG chairmen where the citizens office is working perfectly for international recognition, while offering their free publicity in the press.
Contributing, the director, JDPC Nnewi Diocese, Rev Fr Ben Chima Okolo, explained that the programme was part of their efforts to improve grassroots governance through what they termed ‘My Local Government Project’ (MYLGA) geared towards sensitising the populace to hold the government accountable.
“We know that the state government is trying, but we are particularly interested in good governance. Our intention is to hear the people, sensitise and strengthen them on their roles as citizens in our democratic environment,” he stated.
To the state coordinator of MYLGA project, Mr Onyekachi Ololo, the citizens desk would also serve as an interface to share ideas and ask questions, create an environment where citizens and the local government authorities work for the collective benefit of the community.
“We call for the creation of an Office of the Citizens (OOTC) Help Desk with an Officer where citizens from Ayamelum LGA can readily report issues of insecurity, human rights violation, health and education abandoned or poorly executed local government projects in their communities, and other matters. The same thing will be replicated at Awka-north,” Ololo noted.
He also assured them that the project was not about the forth-coming LG election and would not end with it because they were prepared to further engage with those elected as council chairmen and councillors to ensure they articulate their manifestos and work with the citizens for smooth development at the grassroots levels.
The LG stakeholders, while welcoming the project to Ayamelum, vowed to mobilise action towards ensuring that winners of the September 28 council poll are credible to deliver dividends of democracy at the grassroots. The people regretted that lack of basic amenities and total absence of government presence had been drawing back their development while impacting negatively on their agricultural produce.
The president general, Umuerum community, Mr Alphonsus Obiekezie, while speaking at the occasion on behalf of other president generals, lamented that their roads were not motorable, aside challenges posed by lack of power supply and intimidation of his people by security agencies, among others.
“We have no good road. Sometimes before I go to Awka, I’m required to come out with two attires. There is no electricity and we don’t have some other amenities despite being the largest producer of rice in the state. We have been pleading with the governor to help us construct that Awba-Femmili to Umuerum bridge to have a way of transporting our products to other places.”
On his part, Mrs Chinyere Okafor from Omor town urged the populace to shun vote buying and electoral malpractices by voting wisely for a credible council chairmen and counselors capable of addressing their needs.
“Time has come for us to itemize our problems and make them known when our leaders come on board. That way, we would also ensure that they work in accordance with our priority needs.”
Awka-north
For Awka-north council area, the town-hall meeting was held at Urum, one of the 10 agrarian communities in the Area.
Unlike Ayamelum, the citizens engagement was graced by some political aspirants for the forthcoming poll, women and youth leaders. The council area is made up of Achalla, Amansea, Amanuke, Ebenebe, Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu, Ugbenu, Ugbene, Ugbene and Urum communities.
Speaking at the occasion, the traditional ruler of Urum, Igwe Benedict Okafor-Nweke, hailed the initiative, noting that the community was not only ready to support it, but would assist in mobilising others within the council to key into it.
The traditional prime minister of Amanuke community, Chief Charles Obi described it as a welcome development that would help to maintain peace and lasting progress at the hinterland. Obi, who revealed that Awka-north was in dire need of citizen desk officer, posited that it would enable them always air their views without anything to fear.
Another community leader, Mr Albert Chinwuko expressed optimism that constructing Urum-Achalla road would be made possible with the presence of citizens desk.
“We are also part of the Awka Capital Development Authority. But for you to travel from Urum or any other part of Awka-north to our LG secretariat at Achalla, you have to drive through Awka-south, Njikoka, Dunukofia, Oyi and Anambra East LGAs. This is because the simple and easiest route to connect these communities to the secretariat was cut off. Urum has boundary with Achalla. So connecting us to Achalla and other neighbouring communities will solve that challenge. We need unity and forthrightness to achieve this.”
Also speaking, the Awka-north LG coordinator, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) Mr Martins Anachuna advocated for political, economic and education empowerment of people living with disabilities for inclusiveness.