By Usman Ibn A. Lapai
A non-governmental organisa-tion (NGO), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has urged legislators to use their oversight functions option to assess areas lacking in the provision of amenities in order to achieve the goals of the MDGs in the State.
Executive Director of CISLAC, Malam Auwal Musa, made the call during a town hall meeting on Strengthening Existing MDGs Committees in state Assemblies.
Musa said the responsibility, implementation and achievement of MDGs “do not only lie with government, but with all citizens and organisations in the country.”
He called on the legislative committee to ensure that the scarce resources were spent on the needs of the people such as the provision of maternal and child healthcare.
On her part, the programme officer, CISLAC, Mrs Chioma Kanu, who spoke on the Role of Legislature in Accelerating the Attainment of the MDGs in Nigeria, said there was the need for the legislature to be inclusive in various geographical areas “because they are the voice of the people at all levels.”
Kanu said they “are catalysts for accelerating progress.”
She said there were six priority areas which needed to be exploited for better development which included better health care, honest and responsive government, good education, job opportunities, transport, roads and access to clean water.