National Daily

Strengthening grassroots participatory democracy

The political space has continued to be widened to involve non-state actors in the effort to consolidate Nigeria's developmental democracy. Nigeria's premier and foremost human rights organization, the Civil Liberties Organization, had between June 21 and 23, 2008, organized Constituency Forum, in three constituencies in Enugu State to extend the frontier for promoting grassroots participation in governance, reports SUNDAY ODIBASHI

THERE is a wide belief that State/citizens relations are universally complex and require intermediaries to bridge the lacuna to make governance meaningful to the people and the state actors. Globally, bargaining, dialogue, consensus building, etc, are known basic imperatives for democratic processes and management of the public realm.

During the constituency forum in Enugu State, the legislators representing the constituencies were privileged to meet with the local population at different Town Halls to account for their stewardship since assuming office. Apparently, the several meetings created platform for the representatives of the people in the Enugu State House of Assembly and members of their constituencies to discuss issues of mutual interests, exchange ideas and agree on how to forge ahead for the benefits and progress of the people and entire community.

The three constituencies that participated in the forum at the different locations include Enugu East Rural Constituency, Igbo-Ekiti West Constituency and Awgu 1 Constituency.

The legislators briefed the people on what they have done within the period under review, what they are doing and what they intend to do. The people on the other divide, reacting to the briefs, evaluate what they have been told, ask questions and make new demands.

Among the major issues discussed at the community meetings are those relating to the provision of infrastructural facilities namely roads, rural electricity, pipe borne water, provision and maintenance of markets, employment, provision of houses, education reduction of tuition fees in secondary and tertiary schools and farm equipments to encourage mechanized agriculture?
The first forum was held at Ugwogo-Nike in Enugu East Rural Constituency represented by Honourable Chris Ugwu in the Enugu State House of Assembly. Addressing members of the constituency at the community's Town Hall, Ugwu enumerated all he had done within the period under review. He narrated his efforts to ensure that the Enugu State Government provides electricity and pipe borne water for communities in Uguogo-Nike. He also mentioned the provision of two health centres; his personal effort that provided buildings for some post primary schools in the constituency and assisting to ensure that the Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road network is included and approved in the 2008 budget of the state government.
While applauding Ugwu for his efforts, the people urged him to perform more and thanked the CLO for organising, and other non governmental organizations, especially the EED, a Christian NGO, for sponsoring the Forum.

The overview of the forum was presented by the Acting Executive Director of the CLO, Ibuchukwu Ezike.
In another programme of empowering the rural population, the CLO organized a seminar on Women's Rights for elders and chiefs at Ohebe-Dim in Igbo-Ekiti Local Government Area where Honourable Ernest Okpunwa and Barrister William Ezike presented papers on issues relating to the girl's rights and widowhood practices.

While Okpunwa delivered lecture on the importance of the girl child education, Ezike spoke on 'widowhood: practices against women in the community'. Discriminatory acts against women in Igbo land were condemned in their entirety.
The seminar was supported by the EED, the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Onyishi Ohebe-Dim, Ozo Uguwanyi Nwezike, prayed for the organizers and sponsors for choosing his community for the programme.

Speaking to National Daily, the CLO Acting Executive Director said that bringing the representatives and the people together to discuss issues of mutual interests will erase all forms of suspicions between the leaders and the people. He added that such programme would also elate the representatives and encourage them to improve on their performance while throwing challenges to others that are not really performing. It is believed that such forum would acquaint the legislators with the new demands that people want them to pursue when they return to the House.

Ibuchukwu recounted that during the military era, the process of getting leaders and the people together to deliberate on their problems was unknown or completely discouraged. The interactive session was said to make the people happy in meeting their leaders.

The Executive Director also said that such interactive session, if encouraged and sustained, will enhance democracy dividends because the representatives of the people in any arm of government know that people are watching them. He maintained that “it is a project that performs multifunction for the politicians because the politicians become familiar with the people at the grassroots even before the electioneering campaigns when they will be seeking their votes”. Ibuchukwu stated that “it becomes easy to facilitate the legitimacy of government as well as generating momentum for mobilization, solidarity and support because the mechanism of accountability and transparency is well known to all the stakeholders in the state”.