The issue of accountability deficits in Nigeria has been. agreed to be a battle of must won by all citizens as most of the citizens expectations on services to be delivered, projects to be executed and the needs of citizens to be met are cut short.
Fighting accountability deficits, otherwise known as corruption should be a top most priority to all, hence it should be seen as a community led process and not to be left for the NGO alone.
Speaking at a 2day capacity workshop for social groups /networks at Grand Bee Suites in Lagos, organized by the .Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) on the theme ” Social Audit For Accountability, Mrs Dede Kadiri of Innovationmatters said as a citizen and a tax payer of this country, it is all our responsibility to stand against corruption even though many have come to see and take it as a way of life.
Kadiri stated that Nigeria is evolving and so doing, voice is needed to express what Nigerians really need.
Stressing that Social audit is one of the many tools, as It not only teach people to speak up but to speak up with evidence since we are in an era where evidence is so important.
She noted that people now talk about budget and procurement which is a good opportunities for the media to catch up with the train and make a difference.
The media she said, are the voices of Nigerians to be able to project the real needs much more clearly and engage in storytelling.
Kadiri added that. the civil society hasve been working hard since the military era just like the media, this she said its a healthy combination for the civil society and the media working in the same direction.
She also said that Civil society have an opportunity to fine tune so that together with the media, a better impact can be made towards development, especially on the part of the communities, where the people are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to developmental projects.
She however stressed that corruption in the society can only be eradicated only if the communities work together with the civil societies and the media.
The Centre for Democracy and Development( CDD) was established in the United Kingdom in 1997 and subsequently registered in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1999. The organisation aims to promote the values of democracy, peace and human rights in Africa, particularly in the West African sub-region.
The Centre was established to mobilise global opinion and resources for democratic development and provide an independent space to reflect critically on the challenges posed to the democratization and development processes in West Africa, and also to provide alternatives and best practices to the sustenance of democracy and development in the region. While it’s major activities is promoting democratic accountability through election pledge monitoring.
