By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Participants at a Civil Society and Media Roundtable Discussion Constituency Projects have called on the nation’s Anti-Corruption Agencies to scale up their searchlight on implementation of Constituency Projects in Kogi State.
The stakeholders made the call in a Communique issued at the end of the round table discussion organized by Stallion Times Media Services on Saturday in Lokoja.
The Communique was signed by Hamza Aliyu, Chairman, Kogi Accountability Platform; Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina,
Co-Chairman, Kogi State OGP Non-State Actors and Isiyaku Ahmed, Project Coordinator,
G-DRIP (Stallion Times).
According to the Communique, the programme is aimed at encouraging accurate, active citizens’ participation in governance and push for quality service delivery.
It forms part of activities rounding off the three-year Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project tagged: “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP)” being undertaken in Kano and Kogi states by Stallion Times Media Services.
The project is being executed in collaboration with the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism under the Collaborative Media Project with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
The participants observed that many elected representatives had no functional constituency offices for engagement with their constituents just as Constituents are not usually aware or carried along in the conceptualization and planning of constituency projects.
They also observed that citizens’ dissatisfaction with their elected representatives is a direct consequence of the lack of transparency in the activities of political leaders especially in their expenditure of public funds.
To address the myriad of challenges arising from issues around constituency projects, the the stakeholders called on every elected representative to have a functional Constituency office with the requisite staff and equipment.
They also urged Anti-Corruption Agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beam their searchlights on the implementation of Constituency Projects in Kogi State.
They also urged the Legislature to put in place, mechanisms for ensuring that the concept of Constituency Project is made Transparent and accountable to the people (through Oversight and Public Accounts investigations).
“Citizens, Civil Society and Media must pay attention by being involved in conceptualization, monitoring, tracking and implementation of Constituency Projects at State and Federal Levels.
“Citizens must take interest in the areas of Public Sector Budgeting, Budget Tracking and Legislative Advocacy including Policy Engagement.
“Elected representatives must make quarterly Town hall meetings a priority for engagement with their constituents”, the Communique read.
The Round Table Discussion on was attended by CSOs, Leaders of Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), Women groups, Persons with Disabilities, members of Action Plan Steering Committee of Kogi State Open Government Partnership (OGP), State and Non-State Actors, and the Media. (Ends)