The Public and Private Development Center in Abuja (PPDC) has urged communities in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) to participate in governance.
The call was made by the Senior Programme Manager, PPDC, Mr Onyekachi Chukwu at the Community Townhall Workshop for Right-Holders of FCT, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The training was also to enlighten indigenes of the FCT on projects monitoring and engage the government on quality service delivery
Mr Oyekachi who took time to enlighten the indigenes on how to monitor government projects within their communities, said the PPDC, would give them the necessary assistance to get the government to complete projects within their communities.
“What we trying is to empower the people communities in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), particularly by working with Right Holders who are representatives of the communities to see how they can improve their participation in governance by monitoring projects in their communities and also demanding for improving service delivery in their communities.”
“We are educating the people in the communities by showing them different tools available to them to improve their participation in governance and help them have more accessibility to their representatives. This is to ensure that some of the challenges they have in their communities such as of lack of schools, lack of physical facilities such as roads, access to water as well and insecurity can be solved.”
According to him, the Center is currently working in six communities within FCT.
“We want to see how we can teach them what to do so they can reach out to some of their representatives like they mentioned that they can’t access. Also to help improve the connection that they have lost with their representatives.“
Speaking on the progress made so far, the Project Manager noted that “So far so good, the communities are actually willing and it’s very impressive that most of the communities in the FCT are aware of what they should do. Some have gone as far as taking steps to reach out to their representatives
“And in the same vein have done some personal donations in terms of security. In other instances, they donated some hospital and school equipment to help improve education and health in their communities.
“But then there is still a very big gap in the sense that there is very little or no government presence in some of these communities,” he stressed
He lamented over the poor state of some of the communities “One would actually will think that they’ll be doing okay. Considering the fact that these communities are located in the FCT you will be surprised that these communities are inaccessible. When we visited, those communities were very difficult to get to, for some of these places, we had to park our cars and use our legs to get some of these communities.“
He said; “We want to spotlight these communities in the FCT which haven’t seen government presence in over ten years. Basically in as much as those people are in the FCT doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is actually well with them
“So now we have paid visits to these communities. And today we have brought members of these communities to discuss the challenges they are facing . Three days ago we had discussions with government representatives and with some representatives of these communities and presented these challenges,“ Mr Oyekachi noted
Speaking on what next to do after the enlightenment, Mr Oyekachi said “By next week we are going to meet their representatives to present these problems to let them know what is happening at the same time building capacity of community-based organizations and Civil Societies working in the FCT to also join hands to see how we can all collaboratively work to improve the lives of these communities in the city.”
A participant who represented, Buzumkure community in Kuje Area Council , narrated how the road linking Kuje and Abuja at 30 Village is yet to be completed; ” The road was actually contracted few years back. The contractor came to site, did a little work and disappeared. (The road linking Abuja @ 30 village)that road leads to about four major communities. Buzumkure, Abuja @30, Paigi estate, and Piegi community, these communities all teamed up and went to the FCT Minister’s office on two occasions. Even the state Minister (FCT) came to the community and promised that the road will be completed
“Apart from that, we have been on a lot of radio programmes to get the attention of the contractor to come back to site. But as I am speaking to you no contractor has returned to the site.”
He decried the increased cases of kidnapping as a result of insecurity and call for more efforts to curb the menace.
Mr Thomas Bako, who represented the Yimi community of Gwagwalada Area at the Council of the FCT urged the government to appoint an indigene as FCT Minister.
He said, “Demanding for an indigene to be appointed has become critical because It is better for us (indigenes of Abuja) to be appointed because the indigenes know the problem of the FCT.”
He claimed that the indigenes of FCT are the most disadvantaged people in the territory.
“We are the most cheated people in Abuja because we are not the ones that brought the minister, it is the President that appointed him. When we go to him he is representing his people where he comes from. He is not representing us, so that’s why it is painful to us,“ he added
PIAK
