By Patrick Obia
Connected Development (CODE), a Pan-Africa non-profit-making organization with a mission to empower grassroots communities in Africa with information and hold government accountable, has ended its one-day citizens-led campaign on social accountability, and implementation workshop in Calabar, Cross River State.
The workshop which is phase 2 of “The Power of Voices Partnership (PVP)” is aimed at building capacity and raising awareness of the socio-economic costs associated with the Nigerian extractive sector across six project States of the Niger Delta.
Enjoining host communities to engage both the oil companies and the government more for good results, the NGO said the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) if implemented diligently, will help facilitate economic development of oil-bearing communities as well as attract investment opportunities locally and internationally.
The Programs Manager of CODE, Zaliha Lawal said it is pertinent to educate the people because a lot of things happen in secrecy when the community does not understand what they stand to benefit from as it is important for them to know their rights and what they are entitled to.
Zaliha, while assuring that the organization will work with the communities to know what their challenges are and foster a way out, implored them to have a clear objective on the Petroleum Industry Act and HCDT.
“The expectation is that these community members who attended should go back and do training for their community people and we expect that as beneficiaries and host communities of this training, you take action and have clear objectives – the PIA and HCDT,” she said.
The Cross River State Lead of Follow The Money Movement, Etim Effanga called on the citizens to employ dialogue for positive results instead of protests and other violent vices.
Etim who doubles as the South-South Zonal Lead of Follow The Money expressed optimism that the aim of the workshop has been achieved adding that host communities will begin to ask critical questions.
“I feel the aim of the training has been achieved, we had six community leaders, CSOs, and the best media in the State, the message has been passed to the right person and we know definitely from now we will start having engagements as a result of the workshop in all these communities represented and the ones not in attendance.”
David Olottah, facilitating the session on budgeting and the active use of social media to galvanize support said citizens must track budgets and projects meant for them.
He noted that social media has come to stay for good, citizens should take advantage of its space and demand transparency and accountability.
One of the community chiefs, His Highness, Chief Bassey Ekanem of Mbiabong Nsinufot, Ikot Offiong in Odukpani LGA expressed that “the training is so impactful and when I go back I will take the knowledge I have gathered here to my people telling them there is development. We are open for advocacy.”
On his part, one of the civil society organization attendees, Kingsley Eworo who is the Executive Secretary of Budget Transparency and Accountability Initiative – Nigeria (BTAN) shared that, one of the challenges some host communities have is wrong assumptions as it concerns the PIA and the workshop has addressed that.
He said as a CSO operator, the training has added an arm of knowledge as to how to engage and laid bay some of the projects that the government earmarked to do, disclosing it will also help CSOs operators to see to an extent the status of a particular project and why the status is so if not completed.
The highpoint was question and answers sessions, group drafting of an action plan, and a group photograph.
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