No fewer than 210 community stakeholders in three local government areas of Nasarawa State have been sensitised on how to ensure their needs are included in the 2022 council budgets.
The sensitisation was carried out in Lafia, Kokona and Akwanga Local Government Areas (LGAs) from May 25 to May 28 at ward level budget cluster meetings with that of Akwanga taking place on Friday.
The meetings were organised by Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Mada Hills and Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN) in collaboration with Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (OXFAM) Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 70 community stakeholders comprising community, religious, women and youth leaders, among others participated in each council area.
Nine electoral wards benefited from the sensitisation with Lafia producing participants from Adogi, Akurba and Keffi Wambai wards.
Kokona produced participants from Garaku, Ninkoro and Hadari wards, while Akwanga had participants from Ancho, Gwanje and Ningo/Baher wards.
Mr Ango Adamu, the YMCA Mada Hills Executive Secretary, said the meeting was to challenge ward stakeholders to demand a better deal from the local government.
He said it was also to sensitise them on how to have their specific needs included in the 2022 council budget with focus on the agriculture sector.
“It is the practice around the world; people make their needs known to the authorities for inclusion in the budgets.
“This will enable the government at that level to allocate resources appropriately; this is basically our mission here,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Jonathan Joshua, ASSAPIN President, said the meeting also focused on training participants on the use of the Community Development Plan (CDP) document, which they could use to harmonise pressing needs.
“It is the right of the people to demand the kind of services they want from the government and through the use of the CDP they can appropriately make their specific needs known to the government.
“So we are training them on the CDP because we want to see a very formidable CDP from each ward that will get the attention of the government for inclusion in the 2022 budget.
“In the community, there are different actors with different roles and different needs. The needs of the community leaders can be different from the needs of the women group and also the youth group,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Isa Umbugadu, from Adogi ward in Lafia LGA, described the meeting as an eye-opener.
“It has raised our awareness level; we have become more conscious of our responsibilities as community leaders. Its positive impacts will surely be felt in our communities,” he said.
Similarly, Blessing Awayu, a participant from Ninkoro Ward in Kokona, said the sensitisation had taught them the right channels to follow in ensuring that their needs as a community were prioritised in the council and state budgets.
“We have learnt the proper channel in which to follow to get our requests attended to.
“Back then, we did not know what to do. But now through these meetings, we now know how to go about lobbying for our needs to be approved and put in the budget,” she said.
Another participant from Gwanje Ward in Akwanga, Helen Zaka, said the meeting and the training on CDP had also helped in strengthening the unity in communities as they came together to harmonise their needs.
“The meeting has changed our mind set and enlightened us on our rights as members of a community.
“Besides the issue of inclusive budget, the CDP has brought us closer to fight together for a common goal,” she said. (NAN)
