Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), an NGO, has trained Kano-based journalists and civil society organisations on new strategies on accountability and transparency.
In his remarks at the opening of the one-day event on Tuesday, Dr Zikrullah Ibrahim said the aim of the exercise was to equip stakeholders with relevant knowledge to promote accountability.
He added that the training was vital for effective delivery of critical social services, especially constituency projects.
“To achieve this goal, Journalists must assist the public to hold legislators accountable in terms of constituency projects,” he stressed.
He solicited for a synergy between the media and other stakeholders for mass coverage and information dissemination to reduce corruption.
In a presentation, Mr Adewoye Adeyemi, Senior Programme Officer of the organisation, highlighted the need for the media to change strategies in advocating for transparency and accountability.
He took the participants through Citizen-led accountability theory, explaining that it was an effective tool to trigger anti-corruption in the society.
Mr Adeyemi said the mechanism also referred to as social accountability, had been effective in holding public office holders accountable.
According to him, “With the failure of other deployed mechanisms such as political checks and balances, administrative as well as fiscal mechanisms, new ways must be deployed.”
Shedding more light on the Citizen-led accountability, Mr Adeyemi stressed that it involved the institutional, independent, collaborative and confrontational approach.
The Citizen-led accountability mechanism he explained, would trigger improved governance, enhance development, citizens empowerment and strengthen citizens-state relations.
It is in the report that about 30 journalists and civil society organisations took part in the one-day training organised by CHRICED.
The training tagged “Fostering Transparency and Accountability in Constituency project delivery in Kano state”, took place at Mambayya House in Kano.
It was part of the organisation’s Community-Driven Anti-corruption Initiative, funded by MacArthur Foundation.