- The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Open-Minds Young-Voices Network have kick-started a project termed 'ManifesTrack.'
- The aim of the project is to critically assess President Muhammadu Buhari's electoral promises (manifesto) to Nigerians in the next four years
- The project will be leveraging on technology and social media to simplify the manifesto and sensitize the general public
A Civil Society Organisation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, through its Open-Minds Young-Voices Network, have kick-started a project termed 'ManifesTrack.'
This was revealed at a one-day workshop on Wednesday, March 20 with the media and CSOs on monitoring and tracking of campaign promises in Nigeria.
Legit.ng gathered that the aim of the project is to critically assess President Muhammadu Buhari's electoral promises (manifesto) to Nigerians in the next four years.
Accordingly, the project will be leveraging on technology and social media to simplify the manifesto and sensitize the general public to ask questions and demand transparency.
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Speaking to Legit.ng on the sidelines of the event, Austin Ekwujuru, project lead of ManifesTrack, said there is a need for CSOs and the media to beam their searchlight on the promises the president made during the election campaigns.
His words: “We designed this project in order to track the campaign promises of the president. The essence of this is to ensure that we sensitize citizens, so that they can ensure they track the projects.
“From the workshop we had today, we have seen that you not just track campaign projects, you have to get your hands on the budget for you to track them.
“What we are doing now is to get a coalition of CSOs and the media who are critical stakeholders in this sector, to ensure that in the activities that they do, they beam a spotlight on those promises that the president has made within the areas that we have chosen - health, infrastructure, job creation, social investment programme.
“We believe that it is not enough for citizens to go an elect their leaders without actually keeping them in check with those promises that they made during the elections. It is important that citizens hold them accountable within the four-year term or whatever the duration. We believe that the office of the citizen is the highest office in the land.”
Asked what would happen after the end of the four year term of the president, Ekwujuru said: “The essence is for us to be able to instill that habit of holding politicians to account. It is not about us spearheading this project, the citizens themselves can do it.”
Speaking earlier, Ulrich Thum, Resident Representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, said ManifesTrack is a yardstick to holding Niegrian leaders responsible on their campaign promises.
At the event, there were presentations from Henry Omokhaye of BudgIT and Babatunde Akintunde of Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism amongst others.
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Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has called for an independent inquiry into the conduct of 2019 general elections.
The group made the call at a press conference addressed by its convener, Mr. Clement Nwankwo on Sunday, March 10.
The group said the inquiry should address many issues that have bedeviled the conduct of the polls including procurement, logistics management, role of the military and abuse of process by INEC officials amongst others.
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Source: Legit.ng
