NGOs Harps on the Need for Communities Participation in Governance
ASABA/Nigeria: A two day sensitization training workshop organised for the Civil Society Organization Network and think – tank for Health, Community and Development System Strengthening, has ended in Asaba, the Delta State capital, with a call on government to involve the communities in the policy making and implementation processes.
The workshop put together by the Afrihealth Optonet Association in conjunction with the United Nation Democracy Fund, according to the Chief Executive Officer, Afrihealth, Dr. Udodinma Adirieje, said the two day programme was to sensitize the duty bearers for participating civil society members for the nine local government areas selected in Delta State.
He said Afrihealth is a civil society network coalition, concentrating on community systems strengthening, maintaining that life and development revolves around health.
“The UNDFund is partnering with the Afrihealth for innovative sustainable citizens participation programme in the Niger Delta Region. The participants had been selected from the three Senatorial Districts of Delta State for the training.”
He explained that the goal is to strengthen systems that make community works, give hopes to the people and as well as address poverty, noting that at the end a community will be able to identify their challenges and plan for the solutions.
Aderieje traced the principal causes of the various challenges confronting the nation to a system failure, insisting that the policies of government at all levels are the major cause of the nation problems.
He decried the budget formulation and implementing processes of the government which imposed projects on communities rather than addressing their needs.
“Communities hardly make impute in the budgeting processes that affects them. We want communities to be part of budget formulation and implementation. Community participation in policies making and implementation will solve the problems of the country.”
According to him, if government formulates good policies and programmes involving the communities, that is button up approach to governance, the various agitations by different communities and tribes will cease, submitting that there is hope for the nation if government can apply people oriented policies and programmes.
On his part, Mr. Lucky Enegide, Implementing Partner and Director of Programmes, Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre ( ENVIRUMEDIC), described the programme as a huge success, noted that gone are days when politicians sit in comfort of their office and decide what projects to give to communities.
“My organisation is the implementing partner for the sustainable citizens participation with Afrihealth being sponsored by UNDFund. It is a workshop for all the coordinators in the three senatorial districts of Delta State, it will enable communities identify short time, medium and long time sustainable projects.”
Racheal Misan Ruffee, of Development Initiative for Community Impact and Mr. Okezi Odugala, the Executive Director Eziodu Initiative for Sustainable Environmental Development, participants at the workshop, underscores the importance of NGOs in building and enhancing community participation in governance, stressing also the need for communities to be involved in the entire processes of addressing their challenges.
