The 2015
general elections have come and gone; with the victors positioning themselves
in preparation for swearing-in and resumption of their executive and legislative
duties, while the losers are in deep-reflection, counting their mistakes and losses.
It is no longer news that, Lere local government of Kaduna state, the once known
stronghold of the People’s Democracy Party (PDP) has been swept away by the Change
Tsunami of the All Progress Congress (APC).
The APC won all the electoral contests from
the presidential down to the State House of Assembly; while of direct interest
to the good people of the local government are the elections of the Member of
the House of Representatives, and that of the two Kaduna State House of
Assembly members representing Lere West and East constituencies.
In the light
of the above, on behalf of our youth, Federated Kurama Youth Association-Kaduna
branch, I want to use this medium to congratulate and show solidarity to all our
elected legislators. They are, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal Rabiu, Member-elect Federal
of House of Representatives; Alhaji Kabiru Doka, Lere West and Alhaji Abdullahi
Marafa, Lere East constituencies members-elect in the State House of Assembly.
We assure you of our unalloyed support through active and constructive issues-oriented
participation in achieving the purpose of your various legislative
responsibilities towards the overall development of our constituency, state and
nation in general.
Indeed, the
expectations on the newly elected legislators are enormous and justified;
because of the massive votes they garnered in their various constituencies from
the constituents. Also, Lere local government is the sixth largest in the
state, with a population of three hundred and thirty one thousand, one hundred
and sixty one (331,161) according to the 2006 census, and has an area of 2,158
km2 . It is home to
agricultural activities and contributes to the economic growth of the state. In
fact, it is said to be the largest corn market in the whole of the West African
region. It hosts to diverse ethnic groups such as Kurama (AKURMI),
Hausa-Fulani, Gure, Kahugu, among many others.
Furthermore
and importantly, the local government lacks federal and state presence in terms
of functional institutions, factories and industries. Critical infrastructures
and other social amenities are not equitably distributed, non-functional or
non-existent. A large percentage of the population, especially the youth, are
unemployment; leading to increased poverty rate, high rural-urban migration,
criminality and immorality.
It is then normal for the constituents to
expect the newly elected legislators to; first, present bills and support laws
that address these challenges; secondly, lobby for intervention projects and
government presence in the area; third, maximize utilization of constituency
allowances and equitable distribution of constituency projects.
As it is,
the task of nation-building and sustenance of the democratic process, if it is
to be successful, cannot be left in the hands of elected and appointed
office-holder solely; but the civil society must actively and constructively
participate. This we must do through vigilance, consistent accountability and
transparency-check, incisive-advocacy and pressure, generating and forwarding
relevant bills and policies, avail ourselves during public hearings, monitor
and evaluate legislative performance and constituency projects.
These and many more, we intend to initiate and
facilitate in supporting our members from Lere local government towards
meaningfully performing their legislative and constituency responsibilities in
line with the expectations and needs of the constituents. Be that as it may, we
would want to use this platform to forward some of our other immediate and long
term expectations.
Elections
are over and it is expected that politicking should come to an end; while focus
should be redirected to result oriented law-making and good governance.
Excessive triumphalism and witch-hunting, such as the one that led to
post-election violent clashes and the loss of valuable lives in Abadawa ward of
the local government, should be halted. The elected legislators must come to the
reality now that they are not representing the interest of their political
party, religion, ethnic group, clan or family; but that of all constituents,
and this they must do through ensuring reconciliation, equity, fairness and
justice to all.
As a result
of the aforementioned, we expect that all of the elected legislators would open
functional constituency offices in all the wards of the local government;
unlike what is obtainable now whereby the constituency offices, if available,
are always comatose or closed, with their party flag and portraits on the wall
as the only sign of an office. These offices must have human and material
resources that would serve as center for collecting correspondences and
generating activities that would serve as interventions for the needs of each
ward.
As a major
activity, we expect the legislators-elect, through their constituency offices
to organize consistent, periodic and interactive town-hall meetings; to bridge
the gap between they the leaders and the led, access first-hand information
(expectations and needs assessment) from their constituents through
opinion-sourcing rather than from their loyalist and aids (who focus only on
their personal interest), report back and account to their constituents on
their legislative activities and progress, and seek the buy-in of their
constituents on future legislative activities or projects.
In
fulfilling some of the objectives of the engagements with the constituents, we
expect nothing less than optimal utilization of quarterly allowances allocated
for constituency projects towards result-oriented human capacity and inclusive infrastructural
development in the area. They must allocate these funds strategically strictly
base on needs, and not white-elephant projects that are propagandist and have
no long time benefit to the constituents.
Furthermore,
they must sharpen their lobbying skills to attract both federal and state
government projects to the area. As it is, we deserve to host an educational
institution or industry or factory. We need more feeder roads to create access
to remote community and the transportation of agricultural products. We also
need increased funding for the agricultural sector, which is our mainstay. Some
communities are still without portable drinking water, so, the need to ensure
the expansion and completion of the Saminaka water project and sinking of
boreholes. More schools need to be constructed and equipped; while the
dilapidated ones need to be refurbished and made conducive for learning. There
is the urgent need for vocational skills acquisition centers to cater for the
large army of the unemployed especially the youth, majority of who are
unskilled and uneducated formally.
These and
many more we would expect from our elected legislators in ensuring that the
dividends of democracy reaches the doorstep of ordinary people within the local
government. As for us, the Federated Kurama Youth Association-Kaduna branch in
partnership with other like-minded associations, we are ready to keep our
elected legislators on their toes. This
we are determine to achieve through active vigilance and participation by
serving as pressure groups, accountability-watch through the instrument of the
Freedom of Information Act, advocacy engagements, lobbying, forwarding proposed
bills to the Members, and create massive awareness on the activities of the
legislators-elect. We wish them all the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment