Some Local Government Council Chairmen in Kaduna State, has pledged to open more space for citizen’s engagement in the governance process, to improve the quality of services delivery at local level.
The chairmen made the commitment in Kaduna on Wednesday, during the Local Government Accountability Mechanism Series organised by the Coalition of Association for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED) and other partners.
The series, supported by DFID-funded Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn (PERL), had as its theme “COVID-19: Local Government Response, Recovery Plans and Reforms Sustainability”.
The LGAs, namely, Jema’a, Lere, Kajuru and Chikun, who participated in the Zoom Virtual Meeting, noted that the LGA Accountability Mechanism reform had provided a platform for a robust citizen engagement.
Mr Cafra Caino, Chairman Kajuru LGA, promised to sustain ongoing local government reforms in the state to carry citizens along in the formulation and implementation of government programmes.
Caino who noted that the council had not been doing very well in generating the needed revenue to carry out development programmes, said that strategies were being developed to improve revenue generation.
He pointed out that COVID-19 and security challenges have further compounded the economic situation in the area, adding that the council would work with citizens to find ways out of the situations.
He appealed to the state government to remit the 10 per cent statutory meant for LGAs of the internal revenue generated in 2019, to enable them fast track COVID-19 recovery process.
“I am also appealing to Civil Society Organisations and other development partners to support LGAs to be able to provide quality service to citizens,” he said.
Also speaking, his counterpart in Jema’a LGA, Mr Peter Averik, said that the council was working with the citizens to revive economic activities, particularly agriculture.
This, according to him, would enable people to cope with the economic shock brought about COVID-19 pandemic.
Averik also reiterated commitment to sustain ongoing reforms to promote citizens participation in governance and ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of programmes in the council.
“We are going to open more doors of engagement so that citizens can make quality inputs during the 2021 budget preparation process, which will begin soon,” he said,
On his part, the Councillor, Sabon Tasha Ward, Chikun LGA, Mr Ganaka Kogi, noted that counsellors have not been living up to their responsibilities in providing voices for the people they represent.
Kogi promised that councillors would focus more attention on carrying out their expected duties as outlined in the constitution in the interest of the citizens.
The Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Ja’afaru Sani, equally promised open doors for citizens engagement in the delivery of services to the people at the local level.
Sani, who was represented by Alhaji Garba Aliyu, Director, Planning Research and Statistics in the ministry, added that the local governments’ budgets were revised to respond to COVID-19.
Earlier, Mr Yusuf Goje, Head, Leadership Governance and Advocacy, CALPED, explained that the accountability mechanism was being implemented in five pilots LGAs, namely Jema’a, Lere, Chikun, Kajuri and Zaria.
Goje explained that the main objective was to deepen ongoing institutional reform in LGAs through a strong synergy and dialogue mechanism among critical stakeholders for improved quality service delivery.
