Assessing Tinubu’s govt: We’ve done our bit for the North — DG Sardauna foundation

Dr Abubakar Gambo Umar, an engineer and the director-general of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SAMNF), said the rationale behind organising a “citizen engagement platform” was for top federal government appointees from the North to give account of their stewardship.   Can you tell us the rationale behind the “citizen engagement” that held in […]

Dr Abubakar Gambo Umar, an engineer and the director-general of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SAMNF), said the rationale behind organising a “citizen engagement platform” was for top federal government appointees from the North to give account of their stewardship.

 

Can you tell us the rationale behind the “citizen engagement” that held in Kaduna recently?

The rationale is simple. We all know that it is important to understand what the government has done for us over the past two years and what we should expect in the coming two years. That is the rationale behind it.

We are happy that they responded. They came and explained to us what they did in the past two years, what they are currently doing and what remains for them to do.

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You would see that our focus was enough to draw their attention. That was why, even when the president sent northern appointees to come and explain to their fellow northerners, we were happy and grateful. Under normal circumstances, perhaps he wouldn’t have done that.

So, in that respect, the government has exhibited the principles of democracy by accepting to come and submit themselves to a question-and-answer session with the people.

If you were there you would have noticed how the programme went – they presented their issues – what they have been doing. And the citizens, made up of a broad base of northern stakeholders, got some answers.

That is basically the rationale. And we are hoping that this kind of engagement would continue in the future so that eventually, it would be ingrained in the psyche of elected officials that they can be called upon at any time to account for their activities, policies and programmes.

 

 Were all the sister organisations that participated in 2022 also present this time around?

Yes, they were present – all of them. Of course, normally if you are organising a programme you need people to come and participate. We extended invitations to all the organisations; and I can assure you that they all came. All the organisations sent representatives.

If you are referring to the sister organisations that collaborated with us in 2022, yes, the Foundation conceived the idea and invited five of them to join, and they came. We held the interactive session with presidential candidates at that time. This time around, the Foundation independently organised the event but invited those groups to participate, which they did.

Aside from those five groups from 2022, over 20 other groups were also invited to participate in this year’s event, including religious bodies like the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Supreme Council for Sharia and tribal groups like the Middle Belt Forum and Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU).

There were also representatives from the academia like vice chancellors, and several distinguished individuals. The attendance was very good and the quality of presentations and discussions was excellent. We are happy.

 

Is your resolution the voice of the Foundation or it also involves other groups?

You shouldn’t even be asking this question because if the Foundation organises something it should issue the resolution or communique. This goes without saying. So whatever communique that came out is from the Foundation, and that’s why I signed it.

It was not a collaborative event; it was organised solely by the Foundation. People were invited to participate, not to co-organise. So how would any other group take responsibility for the communique? Only the Foundation does. 

 

What would you say is the greatest achievement of this engagement?

Well, people tend to focus on tangible achievements and neglect intangible ones. But in this case, the intangible is the most important for us.

We believe we have achieved something significant in deepening democracy. For the first time – that I can remember in this country – we are calling the government to come and face the citizens and give account of their activities. That alone is a major achievement. The mere fact that we have provided a platform for the government to come face-to-face with the people is by no means a small feat.

People left the venue either fully satisfied with what the government has had done, partially satisfied or perhaps not satisfied at all. But whether satisfied or not, the dialogue and accountability were what mattered most.

 

What is your message to the North following this citizen engagement programme?

Perhaps the most important message to the North is that we should be more politically conscious. We should be more demanding of our rights, and we should also be alive to our responsibilities.

To me, we are all leaders in one way or another, especially the literate and enlightened segment of the northern population. So, whatever we do – our actions – and even what we fail to do – our inactions – have a direct bearing on those who may not even have a voice.

So I advise that we become more democratic. I advise that we engage our political leaders as much as possible. The more we engage with them, the more they realise that there are serious issues at the grassroots level.

In most cases, leaders might be oblivious to our sufferings. They might think they are performing wonderfully without knowing that they are not. Therefore, the more we engage them, the more they get the feedback necessary for them to adjust. And that is what this programme sought to achieve.

My message is: Let there be as many of this kind of engagement as possible. I hope this becomes the norm, year in-year-out. What we often see is that during election cycles, we vote these people into power and we don’t see them again until four years later when they need our votes again.

The message is clear: Let’s engage them. We should keep the government people on their toes so that they know we are watching and are demanding the dividends of democracy due to us.

That is the message I have for the North, especially the northern elite. We are not oblivious of the fact that there are pressing issues like poverty, illiteracy, out-of-school children and many others here in the North, over and above what the government can handle alone.

You and I know that we don’t have access to the resources of the government to tackle these challenges ourselves. So since we don’t have that access, the best we can do is to keep drumming the right message to those in power to do the right thing.

They might even be doing the right thing already, but is it enough? That’s the question. So we draw their attention to the fact that, yes, you are doing something, so far so good, but you should double your effort.

Some of them may even be doing something but they have derailed. So let’s talk to them and bring them back on the right track. The work is enormous; it is not for one person alone.

In our Foundation we have done our bit; and it is symbolic. It means that it can be achieved. So people should take this matter up from where we have stopped.