March 28th 2021 | Community Town Hall Meeting
Special Guests:
- Alhaji Dahiru Mande, Director Social, Bungudu LG
- Mr Maniru Rabiu, Chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE)
- Alhaji Kabiru Usman, Representative of Emirate council
- Nasiru Ibrahim, Information Officer, Bungudu LGA
- Nuradden Hamisu Ibrahim, Bungudu Local Government Coordinator
Citizens have a tendency to overlook the affairs of local governments or matters of state governance to concentrate on the bigger picture at the federal level. Yet, governance begins from the government closet to people at the grassroots: the local government.
The 1st #MyLG town hall meeting in Bungudu local government, themed, “Ensuring Active Citizens’ participation in Local Governance”, was held to educate citizens on the importance of participation in local governance. The meeting had in attendance the Director of Social, the chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the representative of the emirate council, local Government staff, and leaders of youth organizations.
At the meeting, it was observed that citizens were unaware of the affairs of the local government or the role it plays within the community. Information about the LG was either obscure to or hidden from the public; this greatly influenced citizens’ disinterest in LG projects. It was equally observed that local government funds were manipulated by the state government, media houses do not shade enough lights on local government projects which gave room for local government leaders to lie about ongoing projects in their communities using social media.
Resolutions were reached to prioritize citizens’ needs in local government budgets and make the budget information public. Also, there was a request to push for regulations of the joint accounts between the state and local governments to curb manipulations at the state level. It was equally agreed that stronger laws are needed to regulate the use of social media by local government officials. Finally, the local government was tasked to ensure citizens’ active participation in its affairs and youths’ involvement in budget formation and tracking.
Below are pictorial representations of the participants.
