Residents of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, have called on elected public office holders in the state to be more responsive to the yearnings of the electorate.
They lamented that there still exist a large gap in communication and feedback between elected representatives and their electorate, which has led to several unsolicited projects by the lawmakers, many of which end up abandoned by the communities.
Representatives of Adankolo, Kabawa, Felele and Sarkin Noma communities in Lokoja made this known during a town hall meeting organised by the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) in Lokoja on Thursday.
The town hall meeting themed “Legislative advocacy and inclusive governance for improved water, sanitation and hygiene in Kogi State” was organised to bridge the communication gap between the duty bearers and the electorate and to improve access to portable water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the state.
In his remarks, JDPC Lokoja Project Officer, Adejoh Sunday Success, noted that many of the elected representatives from Kogi state, both at state and national levels, still do not have constituency offices despite the incessant calls and constitutional provision for such.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and community leader from Kabawa community, Alhaji Suleiman Baba Kamata, said much cannot be expected from current representatives as most of them were “selected”.
“Elections were conducted without regard for the electorate. Our representatives were anointed, not elected, so much cannot be expected from them. In fact, these representatives are always running from the people,” he said.
However, the JDPC legislative focal person, Comrade Idris Miliki, counseled electorate to constantly engage their elected representative regardless of their misgivings.
Miliki urged them to demand that their representatives live up the expectations of their respective offices through dialogue.
He called on elected lawmakers in the state to set up functional constituency offices and equip them well so as to serve as the major avenue where the needs and grievances of people and communities in the constituency can be met.
He also called on Lokoja residents around Old Market and Kabawa to evolve communal strategies for managing waste and improved hygiene.
Representatives of Felele and Adankolo communities decried the persistent lack of portable water in their areas. They called on the state government to come to the aid of the affected communities.
However, representatives of Kabawa and Sarkin Noma communities confirmed appreciable increase in the provision of water. They attributed the availability of portable water in these communities to special interventions from a former member of the House of Representative, late Hon. Buba Jibril, the current Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajia Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and other leaders.
