To promote community-driven Anti-corruption Initiatives in Kano State, and to see that a knowledge-driven platform of active citizens working for the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and accountability is intensified in the state, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) recently engaged constituents in Kano south senatorial district in anti-corruption initiatives.
While collaborating towards accountable and responsive use of resources for the collective well-being of citizens, the non-profit seeks to see that the ordinary people in local communities are allowed to mobilize themselves into active citizens with a strong voice to demand accountability from the government and their inclusion in the governance process at all levels of government.
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While giving his welcome address, Comr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi stated that constituency projects would have been one of the many government intervention programmes that could have helped spread development rapidly across local communities in Nigeria and give citizens a sense of belonging and benefiting from public resources but has sadly not achieved that due to the process of planning and implementing the projects is shrouded in secrecy, lack of transparency and citizens exclusion.
“CHRICED calls for urgent action by critical stakeholders, particularly the citizens who are most affected by the endemic corruption and lack of transparency constituency project delivery chain to rise to the occasion in demanding for transparency, accountability and citizens inclusion in the entire constituency project process.” He said.
Similarly, Ms Zuwaira Omar, the contact and mobilization officer of the civic organization, noted that the endemic siphoning of funds meant for constituency projects by public officials results in economic sabotage and contributes to impoverishment of the masses. “The essence of this community engagement is to see that the community members are enlightened on how to monitor constituency projects and then act as monitors to follow up on constituency projects in their localities.” She said.
Abdulsalam Surajo, an Ajingi local government area constituent, believes that the training came on time. It has given him the experience to follow up on constituency projects in his local government and report cases of uncompleted or poorly executed projects in his locality. He said, “I will see that the youth group in my locality check up on projects to see that the needful is done.”
