Mercy Adewunmi
Accountability constitutes a foundational principle of sound governance within any democratic society. In Nigeria, a nation characterized by an intricate political landscape and a history of governance complexities, the matter of holding leaders accountable remains a pressing concern.
Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), a non governmental Organization committed to investigative journalism with focus on highlighting the challenges faced by women across all sectors, supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), and the MacArthur Foundation. Paid an advocacy visit to Kuchingoro, a community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to look at areas government has been able to touch the lives of women in the local level.
Speaking to the Executive Director, GSAI, Adaora Sydney Jack and her team, the community Chief of Kuchingoro, His Royal Highness, Chief Ibrahim Wamba, listed some of the challenges bedeviling his community in terms of the constant deteriorating services at the local health care center, lack of health personnel to attend to pregnant women, women in labour, antenatal and the negligence of government as it further relates to issues affecting women and children in his community and pleaded for quick interventions.
“If you go to the only Primary Health Care center P.H.C we have here in this community you will see what I’m talking about, no enough room space to contain the pregnant women who come for antenatal, no enough nurses to attend to them, even in the cases of delivery or emergency, they are no doctors on ground.
Is it the Government primary and secondary school? That one is a sorry case. We lack a better learning environment for our children. No chairs and tables, no facilities. The children almost sit on themselves, go to the school and take a look at the environment, the classroom are dilapidated. Government rarely pay the teachers. We pay them through the P.T.A levy we task amongst ourselves, just so our children do not sit at home. It’s not even like the money is even enough for the teachers, it’s just a way of appreciating them” he added.
The matron at the Primary Health Care center and the head teacher individually, affirmed to the words of their community chief.
“We have just two pension nurses here which is not enough fo the P.H.C with many pregnant women, lactating mother and delivery mothers to be attended to.
Many volunteers usually come with hopes of being employed by the government and leaves when they get better opportunities somewhere. We can’t blame them because they need the money.” The matron
“For years now, government officials have been coming to take pictures, ask questions and make promises which till date, there have been no visible result, we have open land where classrooms can be built to accommodate the students, but the government has neglected us, our educational system is very weak here.
JSS 1-3 attend classes in the mornings, dismissed by 12pm for the Senior classes to resume and close in the evening, just because of lack of space. The toilets are nothing to write about. Yet we hear that millions has been allocated to the educational sector. Let government do the needful.” Added the teacher.
The community chief noted, commitments made by the government indeed ought to be observed and implemented with integrity because Governments are representative of their people and must be accountable to them. He further pleaded with GSAI to do all they can by holding government accountable and coming to their aid.
