From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Following the presentation of 2022 budget, Actionaid Nigeria, has encouraged residents of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), to prioritise their needs and actively participate in the deliberation process so as to enjoy democratic dividends.
The encouragement was given by the Partnership and Local Right Programme Manager for Actionaid Nigeria, Sani Ibrahim, yesterday at town hall meeting in AMAC Zone B.
Zone B is made of four out of the 12 wards in the area council which are; Garki, Wuse, City Centre and Kabusa.
Ibrahim, however, implored elected government officials to allow their constituents identify their needs rather than executing projects inimical to the masses.
He said: “Today’s exercise is to see how citizens can make input in the 2022 budget. Ab initio, politicians sit down in their offices and just decide what their community members would need which might not necessary be the needs of the people.
“We decided to take it further by engaging AMAC to draw community members from their different communities there we are with 4 wards representatives in what you call zone B.
“We have Kabusa ward, Garki ward, Karu and one other to make sure that the citizens can discuss the needs of their people.
“The needs are many but we can prioritise those needs so that they can input it into 2022 budget and government can see how it can utilize its resources judiciously to implement the needs of those communities.
“Now that representative of the communities are involved, can they also monitor what government is doing with those resources at their community level?
“At the end of next year, we should be able to appraise ourselves on how well government has utilise those resources and fulfill the promises of the people.
“For us in actionaid, we want the residents to be law abiding because there are a lot of security issues in the country and it is also exacerbating poverty. People cannot go to their farms to work.
“In actionaid, we work with people who are poor. So, they should encourage government to take the little resources to their community because people at the community do not need much.
“All they need is borehole, a graded road, not a tarred road to their community. So, if they can have this, I think they would clap for the government.”
Asked if he was satisfied with the level of Development in Abuja, he said: “I would not say I am satisfied with the level of development in AMAC.
“And I won’t also say I am disappointed because if you take analysis of the local government area councils in Nigeria and you want to place AMAC side by side you won’t say they have done better.
“They done averagely in terms of their performances. But narrowing it down in terms of the poverty level in Abuja, probably you will say AMAC has not really done well or met our expectations because of the resources that come to AMAC.
“We expect to see key developmental issues at the ward level. The area councils are supposed to be working in rural level and not at the cities. They can do more of what they have done.”
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to AMAC Chairman on ICT, Civil Society and Donor Agencies, Abiodun Essiet, commended Actionaid for sensitising the people, adding that the exercise would give them a sense of belonging.