Kaduna: Council harps on citizens’ engagement in governance, policy formulation

The chairman, Kajuru Local Government Council in Kaduna state, Mr Cafra Caino, has stated that the council is working with relevant stakeholders to strengthen citizens’ engagement in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes.

Caino, who stated this in Kaduna, said the measure was aimed at ensuring quality citizens’ engagement in governance with a view to meeting the needs of the people.

According to him, citizens’ engagement is a crucial element of good governance and is required to meet the aspirations of the people.

“Unless the community tells us what they need, we will not know how to serve them better; therefore, we have to carry the people along in whatever we do.

“We are trying to organise the rural communities, but we cannot achieve much except we have the cooperation of the people.

“My passion is to serve my people better and ensure that they live quality life,” the council chairman said.

He added that the council had embraced local government accountability mechanism to entrench transparency in its management of public funds.

Caino pointed out that funds coming to the council area was meant to improve the livelihood of the people through implementation of people-oriented projects and programmes.

He said: “as a local government that is open to the people, we are doing all we can to be transparent and accountable to the people we serve.

“Just recently, I have inaugurated the Technical Working Group on Local Government Accountability Mechanism with a view to deepen local government reforms for improved service delivery.

“The technical working group has been trained by civil society organisations in partnership with Ministry for Local Government Affairs and supported by DFID-Funded Partnership to Reform, Engage and Learn (PREL).

“We will continue to do all we can to deliver quality service to the people through robust citizens engagement and by being accountable and transparent in managing public funds.”

On his part, Mr Yusuf Goje of the Coalition of Association for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), said the effort was to strengthen citizens engagement at local levels.

Goje explained that CALPED, along with other civil society organisations were training the technical working group in five local government areas of the state.

“This is preparatory to the take up of the Open Partnership in local government areas of the state Government in 2021,” he said. (NAN)

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