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Tag: OSIWA

  • INEC ready to conduct credible, fair poll in Anambra- Official

    INEC ready to conduct credible, fair poll in Anambra- Official

    Ahead of the Nov. 18 polls in Anambra, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Wednesday restated its readiness to conduct a credible and fair election.

    Mr Ibe U. Ibe, the Head, Elections and Party Monitoring, said this in Awka during the public presentation of research findings
    on the situation analysis of security and public safety in the state.

    The research findings was carried out and presented by an NGO, the Centre for Law Enforcement and Education (CLEEN) Foundation supported by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

    Ibe said the non-sensitive election materials had already been sent to the commission’s offices in the 21 local government areas, while sensitive materials would be distributed on the eve of the election.

    He urged voters to ensure that they collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice.

    The INEC official said serving corps members would constitute 90 per cent of the ad hoc workers who would be engaged for the election, adding that the remaining 10 per cent would be officials of some federal agencies.

    “The commission is fully prepared to ensure a free, fair and credible election,” he said and urged stakeholders to abide by the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended).

    On his part, the State Police Commissioner, Mr Garba Umar, also promised adequate security for voters and other stakeholders during and after the election.

    Read: Ex- INEC official admits collecting N30m from Diezani

    Umar, who was represented by ACP Maiyaki Baba, said the threat by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to scuttle the poll should be discountenanced, adding that the police is fully in charge of the security situation.

    He also allayed the fears of residents about the possibility of political violence before and during the forthcoming polls.

    Earlier, the Lead Researcher for CLEEN Foundation, Mr Kelechi Iwuamadi, who presented the report, said the research was carried out by the group between Oct. 16 and Oct. 27.

    According to him, the potential threat by IPOB of “no-election’’ campaign could pose a threat to the smooth conduct of the governorship election.

    Iwuamadi also identified “hostile relationship” between the security operatives, particularly the military and members of IPOB as a possible threat.

    The lead researcher said there was need for security operatives to fully realise that they were coming into the state for elections and not for Python Dance Operation II.

    He also noted that porous borders and herdsmen activities were another threat to the polls.

    In her remarks, Mrs Chigozirim Okoro, Project Lead/Assistant Programme Manager, CLEEN Foundation said the aim of the research was to promote public safety, security and justice.

    “The research is to find out the possible effect of IPOB’s call for `no -election’ on the electorate as to whether it will cause apathy and violence.”

    Read Also: INEC pledges credible poll in Anambra

  • Buhari got 57 per cent in job performance – Survey

    Buhari got 57 per cent in job performance – Survey

    Despite his health challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari has been scored 57 per cent for his performance since assuming office in 2015.

    The administration has also broken five promises and achieved seven key ones.

    But the “number of achieved and ongoing election pledges has increased from one to seven, and 45 to 114 respectively in year one and year two” respectively.

    The approval rating for the government’s anti-corruption war however stood “fairly high at 52 per cent.

    The economic agenda of the Buhari administration was faulted due to its “inability to translate several monetary and fiscal policies to economic growth and development.”

    The administration was cautioned against the use of dialogue and negotiation in dealing with Boko Haram insurgents.

    The government’s refusal to obey several court orders demanding the release of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat, was also described as a “serious blight on the administration’s commitment to the rule of law.”

    On the agitations for a state of Biafra, the government has been urged to go beyond dialogue and negotiation by redressing the developmental issues raised by the Igbos.

    These highlights are contained in a report, titled Buharimeter Mid-Term Report, compiled by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

    The compilation of the report was sponsored by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and Open Society Initiative for Western Africa (OSIWA).

    The report, which was signed by the Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, was based on the 222 pledges made by the President.

    According to the report, the 222 election pledges were carefully sourced from (1) APC Manifesto: An Honest Contract with Nigeria;( 2) My Covenant with Nigeria released by the Campaign Team of the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari; and (3) Un-refuted media reports including national newspaper reports and electronic media reports (television and radio) on election promises made by the President during campaign tours across the country.

    The report said: “The Buharimeter Perception Survey reveals that 57 per cent of surveyed Nigerians approve of the job performance of President Buhari, while 40 per cent do not approve of his job performance.

    “Significantly, the 57 per cent job approval has a regional dimension, with those from the northern region viewing Buhari more favourably.

    “ While respondents from the North West (85 per cent) and North -East (66 per cent) constitute the majority of those who approve of his performance, respondents from the South-East (72 per cent) and South-South (60 per cent) make up those who do not approve of his performance.

    “The report indicates that government emphasis in the last two years has been on security. Corruption, agriculture, oil and gas, social safety net and industrialization have seen progress, but there have been no corresponding interventions in sectors including education, health, sports and culture, women and youth empowerment. As such, these sectors have performed poorly.”

    The report gave insights into five promises broken by the Buhari administration and the seven broad ones achieved.

    It blamed Buhari for not keeping to his promise to end the rush to travel abroad for medical treatment.

    It said: “The two years’ assessment report reveals that five of the campaign promises have not and cannot be achieved by the incumbent administration. These are “broken promises”!

    “The promises include: the commitment to end medical tourism, which has become a routine feat of President Muhammad Buhari, who is presently being treated in London for an undisclosed ailment; the creation of three million jobs annually; provision of steady power supply to Nigerians between 12 and 18 months of the administration coming into power; the building of one million new houses a year over the next decades; and immediate increase of the national budget to the health sector from 5.5 per cent to 10 per cent.

    “The report shows that the Buhari administration also achieved seven of its campaign promises during its first two years. These promises include: the public declaration of assets and liabilities (though the details are yet to be publicly released); presentation of National Anti-Corruption Strategy; establishment of a good working relationship with state governments in the North East, neighbouring countries and the international community in the fight against Boko Haram; introduction of time-limited partial amnesty to rank and file Boko Haram members; review of health policy; introduction of social insurance scheme; and review of the structure of Joint Venture Companies and ensuring transparent tendering process, not managed by federal ministers.

    “A comparative analysis of the performance of PMB in his first two years shows significant progress in terms of promises rated as ‘achieved’ and ‘ongoing’. In the first year Buharimeter report released in July 2016, it was reported that overall performance was low, with the government having achieved only one out of 222 campaign promises, while progress was made towards fulfilling 45 of the promises.

    “However, performance has reasonably improved within the year under review. The total number of achieved and ongoing election pledges has increased from one to seven, and 45 to 114 respectively in year one and year two. The report also reveals that promises rated as ‘Not rated’ decreased from 179 to 96.”

    On the state of the nation’s economy, the report rated the Buhari administration low because of its inability to translate several monetary and fiscal policies to economic growth and development in the last two years.

     

     

  • Ogun, KIND sensitise communities on self help projects

    As part of on-going discussion on good governance and monitoring, the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, (KIND) in collaboration with Ogun State Government has held an interactive programme in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

    The project supported by Open Society Intitiative for West Africa (OSIWA) was organised to sensitize people on the need to engage in self help projects especially on environment, health and education.

    During an interactive session, questions were raised on issues from local government relating to the three major services organised by the local Government which is education, environment and health.

    Mrs Hafsat Abiola Constella, Special Assistant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who was in attendance listened to a wide number of complaints by the participant and promise to bring it to the notice of the three local governments — Odeda, Odogbolu and Abeokuta South Local Governments used as pilots.

    Street naming and omission arising from it; inadequate benches and chairs; shortage of staff at health centres and the need to rehabilitate dilapidated buildings were top of the challenges identified by the participants during an interactive session.

    Mrs Akinyode Ololade , a Community Development Officer advised communities to help themselves when the local government fail to help. She said, “Self-help projects by community are a good way of getting issues solved without waiting for long from the government. If communities are properly orientated on these, it would go a long way in solving major challenges faced by our communities“.

    On the other hand, Mrs Emi Oyewole, emphasised on good governance irrespective of the government in power and it is the right of the people to dialogue for a better government.

    In an interview with Bunmi Shonde, a team member of the organization said, ”Through this project, KIND aimed to enhance interaction between local government and its electorates by providing the opportunity for citizens and communities to demand better leadership, accountability and transparency.

    Shonde said building the capacity of elected public officials to interact with citizens and ensure that their needs are reflected in development agenda, building the capacity of citizens to interact with elected representatives; creating a platform for interaction between citizens and their representatives as well as strengthening democratic accountability and transparency at the local level by generating a community score card (a tool for assessing local services and a platform to engage local service providers, local government to identify and address service and performance gaps) in three thematic areas- primary school education, primary health services and environment.

    The programme was a follow-up of earlier training held on governance monitoring and accountability.

  • NGO launches good governance at local councils

    NGO launches good governance at local councils

    THE Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) has launched a project geared towards engendering transparency, accountability, and responsive governance in local government areas.

    The Community Engagement and Public Participation Project is an 18-month pilot project funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the Social Development Civil Society Fund of the World Bank and executed in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser on the MDGs, Ogun State.

    At a stakeholders’ forum to sensitise the public, KIND’s founder, Mrs. Afusat Abiola-Costello, who is also the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said the project will promote widespread participation in governance process in a way that people can influence policies of local governments.

    Executive Director, Emy Oyekunle said the impact of local government policies is below expectation and therefore, there is need to evolve a strategy to “provide the opportunity for citizens/communities to demand better leadership, accountability and transparency.”

    The strategy will see KIND going as an intermediary between local government administrations and the citizens to engender “greater access to information about allocation of public resources and the increased channels for public participation in deciding priorities.”

    She said the project will afford communities in eight local government areas in Ogun the opportunity to work with local authorities to evaluate local services, and consequently agree on spending priorities in three critical areas of primary healthcare, primary education, and environment.

    The target LGAs included Abeokuta South, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Odeda, Odogbolu, Ogun Waterside, Sagamu, and Yewa North.

    For 12 months, 84 officials of selected local governments and 120 representatives of community based organisations shall be trained on community engagement tools and methodologies, after which a score card rating the performance of each participating local government administration in the three critical areas.

    “KIND hopes the use of the community scorecards process will encourage transparency and responsiveness through constructive dialogue,” she said.

    The project is currently at the data gathering and research phase, which is being executed by the project’s consultant, BPM Consulting Services Limited. The training will start in January 2013 and scorecard process starts in March, 2013.