A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has called for more collaboration among legislatures and traditional rulers under their constituency.
The group made the call at a town-hall meeting for Kachia-Kagarko federal and state legislative candidates and traditional rulers at the Kachia Chief Palace, in Kaduna State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group include the African Center for Youth Development, Education and Advocacy Initiative, also known as Great Minds Empire Africa.
NAN also reports that the event had the support of Superself Foundation and the Community Aid and Child Support Initiative.
Mr Tama Monday, Chief Organiser of the event, said that for the country to uphold the tenets of democracy, true representation of the people must be respected.
He explained that people’s interest must be protected and public officers must be accountable to the people who elected them into office.
According to him, there had been continuous gap between the legislative arm and the electorates, as such it was important to bridge the gap and make governance closer to the people.
“We want to bridge the gap between the legislatures and the electorates, in other to foster legislative accountability and accessibility.
“We also want to ensure political gender mainstreaming and educate the constituency on the core function of the legislatures.
“We want to ensure that the people under what campaign promises is and how to hold their representatives accountable when they fail to fulfill such promises.
“Also, the traditional rulers are the custodian of our culture and they are closer to the people at the grassroots, bringing them into the picture would ensure that they communicate their needs to the legislatures, who in turn ensure that they meet those needs,” he said.
For his part, Village Head of Sabon Sarki District, Dogo Jacob, appreciated the organisers for the event, adding that such meeting was the first of its kind in the history of Southern Kaduna.
“This platform has made us to see our legislative candidates and discuss our peculiar needs with them.
“This is commendable and it has renewed our hope for a better Nigeria and better representation,” he said.
Also speaking, Village Head of Kachia, Dr Sabi’u Suleiman, also commended the group for organising the meeting, adding that traditional institutions had been sidelined for too long.
He however called on the organisers to help the people keep track with the promises made by the legislative candidates and ensure they fulfill them.
Mr Nuradeen Dabo, a candidate contesting for the Kachia/Kagarko House of Representatives election, also appreciated the organisers for the meeting, while assuring of his committment to meeting their needs once elected into office.