As Nigerians prepare to vote for leaders ahead of the 2023 general election, the Partnership for Issue-Based Campaigning in Nigeria (PICaN) in collaboration with Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LAWN) and other civil society organizations organized a series of one-on-one policy dialogues with major candidates for various public offices from across political parties in Kaduna for transparency and voter confidence in selecting credible leaders.
The one-on-one policy dialogue supported by ActionAid Nigeria gives open and free rooms of engagement between concerned citizens of Kaduna and the governorship candidates for competency assessment, readiness, and proper documentation of promises if elected, the moderator, Yusuf Goje, noted at a session with the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Muhammad Sani Sha’aban.
However, while answering questions from civil society organizations during the dialogue, Sani Sha’aban noted that sincerity about people’s mandates will make his candidature succeed.
Kaduna today is affected by insecurity, and properties and lives have been lost as a result. Therefore, my immediate actions will focus on peace and security if I am elected governor of Kaduna State, because no matter the commitment of leadership towards development, insecurity and its threat will destabilize the effort. He continued
The unfortunate escalation of insecurity is a result of the higher rate of unemployment; we have quite a number of graduates waiting for years to be employed. In most cases, you see them visiting offices, ministries, and organizations with CVs seeking employment. He started
In my approach of consolidation, innovation, and confirmation, I am determined to end insecurity through job creation by building a mechanism called the “fire brigade approach”: fire brigade to unemployment, fire brigade to creating jobs; it doesn’t have to be a blue-collar job; we are blessed with both natural and mineral resources in Kaduna.
We are going to invest and invite investors from across the world that are either interested in our resources or cash crops that can be fed and exported out of the country. By doing so, we can eradicate poverty and unemployment and have stability in health, education, and all other sectors for the benefit of citizens. He added
However, Yusuf Goje, the moderator and PICAN lead in Kaduna, noted that the engagement has changed the method of campaign rallies and manifestations from a situation where people dance, sing, and shout to questioning and documenting promises for accountability and hope for open governance.
Now, based on this engagement, all the comments and commitments made by the candidates are being recorded for documentation, where a leader will be held responsible and reminded if elected.
I can tell you that there is no better person to tell the state of Nigeria than everyday Nigeria; therefore, citizens should ensure they access what candidates present and make a positive decision to vote for a competent leader that has the capacity, credibility, and competence to solve the issues of poverty, unemployment, hunger, insecurity, and out-of-school children, and also ensure that their living standards are improved.
Therefore, I urged our youth to be responsible and shun political thuggery because we believe it is time for every citizen to vote regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political participation. He added
Also, Hannatu Ahruwan of legal awareness cautions politicians to engage and incorporate citizens’ opinions when elected.
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