Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has asked for full participation of citizens in the process of service delivery.
The Senior Programme Officer, The International Republican Institute (IRI), Mr Sunday Alao gave the charge at a two-day workshop organised by the Institute for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Sokoto State.
The workshop, supported by the United States Agency for International Development is aimed at engaging both political parties and elective officials to be responsive to citizens through service delivery.
Speaking on a paper themed ‘Developing Advocacy Strategy on Service Delivery Issues: Prospects and Challenges,’ Alao charged citizens to always hold their political leaders accountable, especially in service delivery.
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He also tasked the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to see themselves as an interface between the government and people, in order to abreast them on issues of good governance and provision of social amenities.
According to Alao: “We have discovered vital roles the civil societies can play, especially, in helping mobilize citizens to participation in active politics in order to drive the society.”
He noted that at the end of the workshop, the selected CSOs will help abreast the people on how they are been governed and provision of social amenities by their political leaders.
“We are coopting the CSOs as an interface to engage these political parties on how to fulfill their campaign promises toward addressing challenges facing the society.” Alao explained.
He decried the low participation of women, youths as well as people with disabilities in the political process, adding that IRI is helping in that direction.
Also at the day two, the IRI Resident Programme Officer, Husna Hassan, spoke on the developing action plan for women advocacy in Sokoto.
She reinstated the Institute’s commitment in encouraging political parties’ manifesto in meeting citizens aspiration.
Hassan also emphasized the need for women to engage in advocacy drive in order to achieve their political aspiration.