17^th March 2023 | Community Town Hall Meeting 

Special Guests:

• Hon. Aminu ladan, Birnin Magaji Councilor.
• Mukhtar Ahmad, Social Director, Birnin Magaji/Kiyawa LGA
•  Aliyu DIkko, Uban Kasa.
•  Sa’adu Galadima, Uban Kasab II.
• Sani Shuaibu, Chief of Staff.
• Sheikh Iliya Liman.

Citizens’ participation in the governance of a nation begins with their engagement of duty bearers at the local level. If the voice of the masses isn’t heard at local governments, it stands little chance of being carried to the federal government.

The 1st Birnin Magaji town hall meeting themed “The Role of Citizens in Reviving Local Government Functions and Governance” was graced by dignified members of the locale. The meeting urged citizens to shift their mindset from focusing only on what the government can do for them to thinking in terms of collaborative efforts from both the government and the people.

Discussions centered around topics like decentralization of power, provision of better governance and inclusiveness, government accountability, provision of job opportunities within Birnin Magaji LG, and active citizen participation in government decisions.

Through these discussions, resolutions were reached to make governance within Birnin Magaji more democratic. Duty bearers were tasked with leading the people with honesty and trust. Citizens were further encouraged to show their participation in government by writing letters to those in offices, running for offices, donating money to community projects, participating in elections and committee meetings.

A keynote from this meeting was the Director of Agriculture’s response to a question about the lack of agricultural development in the community. According to the director, insecurity in the land prevents the government from investing in agricultural growth in the community.

Below are pictorial representations of the participants.          

14^st March 2021 | Community Town Hall Meeting 

Special Guests:

• Secretary, Shinkafi Local Government, Abba Atiku
• Director of Social, Umar Sani
• Director of Personnel Management, Ilyasu Garba Zurmi
• Junaidu Bala Abubakar, Lecturer, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria
• Mu’awuyya Elhamza, Lecturer, Nigerian College of Education (NCE), Sokoto

The role of the local government is to bring governance closer to the people and serve communities in intimate ways the federal and state governments cannot. Sadly, this is not accurately reflected in local governance today. Duty bearers at the local level have become so detached from citizens that they lose interest in the actions of local authorities.

Themed ”Ensuring Active Citizens participation in Local Government Governance”, the 1st #MyLG Shinkafi LG town hall meeting aimed at discussing mechanisms to improve citizen’s involvement in local governance within Shinkafi. The berth of proposed engagement ranged from community engagement, policymaking, project tracking, implementation, and evaluation. The meeting was graced by representatives of the Shinkafi local government, councilors, youths and women organizations, social media organizations, and civil and commercial organizations.

Discussions and papers delivered focused on community engagement – the role of citizens and leaders/religious leaders in governance enlightenment of the community – and community development – the roles of the local government in creating social infrastructure and amenities.

Resolutions reached included capacity building for our youth to ensure self-reliance, direct financial autonomy of the LG administration, active participation of civil society organizations and women organizations in governance, and giving a listening ear to public views and opinions.

Below are pictorial representations of the participants.       

14^st March 2021 | Community Town Hall Meeting 

Special Guests:

• Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Mafara, Director of Socials., Talata Mafara LG
• Lukman Lawali Danbuzu, Coun
• Zulkifilu Ahmad, Citizen Journalist Talata Mafara

The 1st #MyLG Talata Marafa local government town hall meeting themed, ”Ensuring Active Citizens participation in Local Governance”, was graced by esteemed members of the community including traditional rulers, representatives of the Talata Marafa local government, representatives of commercial and political organizations, civil servants, and many other stakeholders in the local Government tier.

The meeting aimed at educating participants about the importance of active citizens’ participation in governance, the role of civil and commercial organizations as well as the local government in community development.

At the end of the meeting, participants agreed to ensure that LGA budget is always a true representation of the people’s development needs and that all sections of the society must be well represented by the local government. Further resolutions included full transparency in the handling of local government funds in terms of the declaration and allocations of grants received and calls for the continuity of the #MyLG project in the smaller communities around Talata Marafa local government.

Below are pictorial representations of the participants.          

14^st March 2021 | Community Town Hall Meeting 

Special Guests:

• Alh. Muhammad lawal Dauran, Secretary, Maru LG
• Nasiru Abdullahi Maru, Department of Political Science, UDUS Sokoto
• Bashir Umar Aero, Personal Assistant to Sole Administrator, Maru LG
• Alh. Sani Suleiman, Director of Social, Maru LG
• Salisu Ahmad Umar, Citizens Journalist, Maru LGA

The 1st #MyLG Maru LG town hall meeting was attended by Maru local government officials, councilors, youths and women organizations, social media organizations, and many others. The meeting themed, ”Ensuring Active Citizens participation in Local Government Governance”, was designed to look for possible ways forward in active citizens’ participation in local governance, particularly in policymaking, budgeting, and project tracking to meet public needs.

The interactive session touched many areas of governance such as how well citizens can engage with duty bearers and the provision of social amenities by the local government with a view of improvising social wellbeing and economic development.

Resolutions reached included the active participation of community leaders, organizations, and people with disabilities (PWD) in local governance. The local government was tasked to provide death, birth, and marriage registrars, water, street lights, good roads, central markets, better schools, and other social services, in addition to maintenance of order.

Emphasis was made on making efforts to harness local mineral resources within the community for revenue generation and providing skill acquisition training for the people.

From the discussions, resolutions were reached to make representatives of local organizations and groups participate in Anka LG budget deliberations. The local government was also enjoined to ensure the active participation of women and people with disabilities (PWDs) in the decision-making process.

Below are pictorial representations of the participants.         

27^th February 2023 | Community Town Hall Meeting 

Special Guests:

• The Director of Works, Kaura Namoda LGA, Alh. Umar Moriki
• Senior District Head, Kaura Namoda LGA, Alh. Ahmad Isa Umar
• Shafa’atu Salihu Labbo, CJ Kaura Namoda.

The local government is the cradle of citizens’ participation in governance. The bond formed at this stage of governance between duty bearers and the people creates the foundation for inclusion and active participation in governance at state and federal levels.

To this end, the 1^st Kaura Namoda MyLG town hall meeting, themed “Enhancing Citizens Participation in Local Governance”, was held to create awareness on the importance of citizens’ active engagement in issues affecting their LGA. In attendance were representatives of the local government administration, representatives of political, commercial, and civic organizations, and media personnel.

Speakers encouraged the local government to give priority to the views and opinions of citizens and ensure active participation of civil society organizations and women organizations. Further calls were made for capacity building of youths in Kaura Namoda, autonomy and accountability of the LG finances, protection of lives and properties, and adoption of regular town hall meetings.

In conclusion, representatives of the local government agreed to sensitize citizens on enhanced participation in governance, provide support and collaboration for ongoing projects within the community, and ensure financial autonomy. Citizens were asked to participate more in the local and state governments’ selection and administration processes.

Below are pictorial representations of the participants.