Perm. Sec urges Citizens to support continuity in governance
From: Femi Mustapha
The Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed mni, has identified continuity in governance and political stability in Kaduna state as important elements in the move for peace and development, and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have a crucial role to play in this regard.
He asserted this during a Two-Day Technical Session on the Development of an Advocacy Brief and Strategy to Increase Community Development Charter (CDC) Influence and Performance in the 23 Local Government 2024 Budgets.
Therefore, he called on the CSOs to give the needed support to the administration of Governor Uba Sani to enable it to continue executing the several developmental projects initiated by the Mallam Nasir El Rufai administration in the past eight years.
He assured the participants that Gov. Sani has adopted continuity in governance to enhance the development of the state.
Alhaji Bashir, however, advised CSOs to always do a political economy analysis of any matter arising before diving into it, noting that doing so will equip them with the necessary information in their advocacy brief.
Giving credence to this, the Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Local Government, Mallam Adamu Mohammed Liman, said in the spirit of continuity, the Local Government reforms programs should be sustained.
He added that some of the reforms encouraged community participation in deciding the projects they need.
In his presentation, Yusuf Goje said Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KADLGAM) will continue to use advocacy as a longtime strategy to ensure the sustainability of the Community Development Charter (CDC) in the state.
Goje said because of this, the group is working out several advocacy visits to some stakeholders to ensure a participatory budget.
He explained that whereas traditional tactics relied on lobbying to educate and persuade stakeholders on behalf of the community, saying advocacy groups carry more weight when it decides an elected official because they consist of actual constituents.
According to him, CSOs realize the power that communities have in swaying public policy, therefore searching for new tools to advance their advocacy efforts.
Similarly, Mr. Dangwa Abass Danjuma from Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) said the CDC has provided an opportunity for the government to operate a participatory budget.
He heard that the CDC is a work in progress and that the Uba Sani administration should key into it as it can open doors for more resources from donors and partners.
In his remarks, Kaduna state Lead Facilitator, PERL, Mr Adejor Abel, said the engagement was to develop an advocacy brief that will be used in the cause of Advocacy for the sustainability of the Community Development Charter (CDC).
He said the outcome of the engagement will be sent to others’ accountability mechanisms for their input before developing into a brief.