 Nigeria's local government represents governance at the grassroots. The actions or inactions at the local level exposes the inadequacies of government. An impoverished and malnourished grassroots is a symbol of underdevelopment or stagnation. The challenge of growth and development is therefore how to harness resources of Nigeria's rural sector to develop a sound basis for overall development. It also identifies those acts of omission or commission and presents the development strategies which have accounted for the sorry state of Nigeria's rural sector. At a point like this in Nigeria, it is important to create opportunities to enable people at the grassroots, especially women and young persons with disability, to tap into the power of technology to meet the needs of the people ensuring that no one is left behind in awareness. Joining us to discuss this is Moses Adelmihi, he is the Community Development Committee General Secretary for Somolu Local Government. It's so good to have you join us. So we're going to be discussing what you do in collaboration with CLP, Community Life Project, that's what it's called. Joining us, how Community Life Project came into Somolu and what exactly the intention is. Community Life Project is a program to reawaken community to their civil responsibility at the local government level. And that is why they identify those stakeholders at the state and at the local government level to come together and discuss the community needs at their local government level. So one of the stakeholders is Community Development Association, who is under the Community Development Committee, CDC. All those stakeholders are community policing, the artisans at the local government level and also community-based organization, Khan and Muslim community, the structural leaders which is ballers and others, coming together to talk about the needs of the community, either hospital, good roads, infrastructure, education and health. Also the youth, the National Youth Council of every local government are also part and part of the Community Life Project at various local government. So this is more like a platform for people to actually air their wants and needs of course and things that they need government to improve upon. But now you obviously represent Somolu, I'm trying to understand what's your duty, what's your task? Well, I'm the team lead in Somolu. So my role is to governize people together, various stakeholders, coming together to discuss. At this platform, we also invite people from the local government, either the local government Sharma representative or the local government Sharma himself or the counsellors in our local government. How open and responsive are these people because you see it's one thing for people to want good representation. But then it's another for them to get access to the people who are the so-called representatives. So that's the one question. The other question is how informed are the people, let's use Somolu as the litmus test here, how informed are they about who their representatives are at that level, whether it be House of Assembly or Chairman or counsellors, how informed are they about these people? You know, wanting as a leader, that is your responsibility to let people know that this is their duty, to let their representatives know their needs. And that is why, you know, community-wide projects, first of all, build our capacity on how our budget is being done and money that is allocated to budget are from us through our tax and federal allocation. And if this money needs to be used judiciously, we must prioritize some of the projects. In the past, different people would just write later, we need road, we need light, we need this and at the end of the day, they will not do anything. But in the situation whereby you sit people together, you sit them down in a particular ward, what exactly is our need? Is it a primary school? Is it a primary health center? Then we identify all those things that we need. Then we look at it, we sure should come first. You sit down together with the people within the ward, either the market woman, the woman-based organization, the community association of that ward and the ballet. As we invite the councilor to come and sit down with us and discuss. At the end of the day, we present it in a tabula form to the local government chairman and also present it to the legislative council. They will discuss it, you know, since we started in that manner, we are able to achieve a set goal. You know, there are some, for instance, we have a primary school that has been in a deployable state, Jehovah Shalom, you know, and it's one of the oldest primary schools in Lagos state. What we do is that we ask the person representing us at lower Sheba in Abuja, we submit it to him. It facilitated the school and to God be the glory, it facilitated the completion and construction of a six block of classroom in Jehovah Shalom. Also in order local government, local council development, which is Bariga, it also did another one, which is Jehovah the primary school that has been in deployable state. So what we do is this, when we sit down together, we send the one that is going to go to the local government chairman, the one that is going to go to the House of Assembly to facilitate for horse, and the one that is going to Abuja for a consistency, we send it to them, and we do follow up, you know, by creating what they call advocacy visit to some of these representatives. And if one has not been done, we measure that this is pushed to the next budget cycle. Because any money that is not in the budget, you can spend it. Any project that is not part of the budget, they cannot be implemented. So that is why we change the methodology of doing this in Shomui, and that is what's giving us a head of other local government. Because in terms of infrastructure, it's fast going. The one that is attending by the local government chairman, if you submit eight roads, and it did for this year, we will submit the another one for another time. Why the one that is going to go to the local state? For instance, we have, we don't have a good general hospital. We keep clamoring that we need a befitting general hospital, and today the local government have given the way for the general hospital. So next year budget of local state, we are hoping that general hospital will be coming in to Shomui. I like how you're listing all of the achievements that you've been able to make as a group and as a local government. But then let's talk about being able to canvas for people to join you, because it's one thing to say this is what we want, but then have people in agreement, and of course, it tabulates your priorities in the order of importance. Let's talk about reducing corruption and misuse of public funds, because you see, monies are given out and half the time these monies are used to settle the boys. How do you make sure and follow up that, you know, these monies are used for the set project? Is there an open budget system in Shomui local government? And again, widely for Lagos state? Well, before a budget cycle, they call it stakeholder smithing, whereby you atomize the budget that you want the local government to implement for you, and when the budget is started. For instance, when we ask our Honorary Board member who is representing us after Abuja to facilitate for a consistency project, which is Jehovah Shalom Primary School. To make the contractor move to the site, the first thing we move with him, we ask him to place a sample to indicate what kind of project is. And we, as a person, we don't go alone, we go with the team, whereby we monitor the kind of quality of material that is going to be used. If it's going to be used in a February block, and we see a just hand modding, we insist you can use this. And we immediately will put a call across to the representative that what he's doing is now what we want, and immediately they will call him to order and he will give us the writing that we want. Furthermore, even at the local government level, we will meet with the local government chairman. The journey is ongoing, we will continue to hammer on quality things. Normally, they will give money to boys, you know, boys' money. Giving them does not mean that the job will not be done, because if you are implementing a project in a particular community, one of the things that you should use the local boys to make sure that things is done. If it's iron-bending, you bring somebody within the local government, if it's a bricklayer, you bring them. So we are using this to empower those boys. So what we do is to insist using the right quality material for the job. I'm going to go back to that question that I asked, because many Nigerians have said the government is not necessarily doing anything, no matter what we say, they do what they want to do at the end of the day. They have the power, they have the army, the police. So what's the essence of joining any, yes, you know, or asking for good governance if, you know, we know that corruption is right. What exactly do you say in that instance? Because I'm really wondering what you say to people that, you know, get them to your side and begin to ask for these dividends of democracy. You know, you can force people to join you. You can only persuade those who share your lifements. For instance, when you meet with traditional leaders, what do you tell them? Is it the way things are done when they were young? What has changed? If things are not done rightly. Sir, what can you do? That is, you appeal to their conscience. The moment you appeal to them, they will join you in getting things right. For instance, the artisan chairperson will go to her. This is what we can achieve together. We also go out and monitor the school-based project done by the, they got it. We go out together. And when some people are asking for money, we tell them we do it voluntarily. So if you identify six stakeholders, and only three can share your vision, you continue to do it with them. And that is why we are still moving on in Shomu Lukugomi. So let's talk about the partnerships that you have at the grassroots level. I've seen the open governorship partnership. How does that work? Well, you know, it is our right. That is one thing we should know. You know, if you fail to ask questions, nobody is here to give you. And that is why we should turn the Freedom of Information Act that was given to us to ask questions. When you use those tools to ask questions, you will surely see that people will listen to you and they will give you what you want. How easy is it liaising with the government or partnering with them, especially when, you know, if you guys are political, because of course, I'm guessing that the people in Shomu Lukugomi who work with you belong to different political parties. And if a particular, you know, let's say legislator or a chairman is found wanting in his job, is there any, you know, kind of clash of sorts? You know, it depends on how you present your matter. When you need a particular case, for instance, if a particular area is having challenges, for instance, if there is an Akoka community, there is a PAC there. People in that place sit down together and tell the government, this flaggy, flashy PAC need to put in order. It depends on how you present the matter to the local government. That is why you don't need to be confrontational, you need to dialogue. This is what you observe and it's not supposed to be. And how well does that dialogue work? Because that's my concern. This conversation obviously is to help educate people as to the fact that, you know, it's possible to have the partnership with government and, you know, get your voices heard. How easy has that dialogue been for you, the dialogue between, you know, you, the people of Shomu Lukugomi and the people who represent you? Well, it's been, it's an easy ask if you are within the local government. What you need to do is this, you meet with, if it is on education, you meet with head of department in that regard. If it is on health, you meet with MOH. If it is on community, you meet with head of that department, that's a good department. If something beyond the public servant, then you need to move with elected officer. Either you go to the local government chairman or the supervisor of that department, that is your challenge. For instance, look at the increasing in tariff of PSP. What's PSP? That's people in charge of waste. The Loma increase the waste, where's the bill? And we have to sit down with the PSP that in the times of this situation of the country, the economy situation is very hard. And, you know, you are just bringing increase in tariff. We, after all the meeting with them, we also meet with the supervisory councillor for environment and also supervisory councillor for community. Coming together, this is the standard of the community because the increase has come twice because it's as a result of Jizu using with their talk. You know, we continue to sit down to dialogue. This is the standard of the community. Please shift grant. And that is why we have responsibility at the local government level. At this moment, the matter is being discussed with the local government chairman. So that is how you continue to do community dialogue. You don't need to confront anybody. You explain to them the reason for agitation. OK, well, this is very beautiful. But I want to say thank you. Most of the day with me is the CDC general secretary for Somolulu local government here in Raven State. And they're working in collaboration with a civil society organization called CLP, which is Community Life Projects. And these people have helped them to, one way or the other, engage their representatives and government officials in a very peaceful manner. And they've been somewhat happy for it. And you're getting all kinds of responses. Well, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate you. You're welcome. All right, well, we'll take a quick break before we wrap things up tonight. And then I will give you my take. Here's my take. Now, it's good to have a plan, a blueprint of the things that a candidate hopes to accomplish in any election cycle. But that is all that it is, one big hope that the conditions of elected office will allow for the master plan to be viable. Now, it is said that the failure to have a plan is a plan to fail. But when it comes to the reality of political office, trade-offs are part of the dance. Even now, months before the election, for those candidates who have already put out their manifestos, back from handshakes who have already been made. I mean, in an ideal world, we understand that politicians are supposed to be expert negotiators, making deals for our benefit. Even if the incentive of being re-elected is what drives them, as long as the needs of the many are being met over the greed of a few, that's a model that we can live with. But Nigerian politicians exist far outside the boundaries of the ideal world. So for manifestos currently out there, we should actually hope that their architects would continue to revisit them and ensure that it meets the high standard of the oath of office that they're so desperate to take. So the same goes for those candidates yet to present their plan. At the core of any real desire for change, all we have is hope for a better tomorrow. After all, hope springs eternal. I'm Mary Anacorn. Have a good evening.