2019: Don’t wait until next election to claim your right, group tasks Nigerians

2019: Don’t wait until next election to claim your right, group tasks Nigerians

A Community Life Project Initiative otherwise known as Reclaim Naija has urged Nigerians not to wait until 2019 before they engaged the government to do the required in their locality. ‎

Cross section of grassroots participants at the Town Hall meeting on community participation in budgeting held at Kosofe LGA Speaking
yesterday at the community to Life Project Initiative in Kosofe Local government and Amuwo Odofin in Lagos, Lanre Arileola, program officer community level, said the need for citizens not to relent in coordinating themselves into trade groups to engage their local government chairmen to do the needful in their locality. His words:“Our civic mobilisation and sensitisation is ongoing in Osun, Ekiti, Lagos and we are interested in the development of our community. The essence of Reclaiming Nigeria is not to antagonize the government but reason together to get our needs met. By this Nigerians don’t need to wait until the next election to demand or claim their right from the government. The need to stop ‘I don’t care’ attitude cannot be overemphasized, we should learn how to constructively engage and request for what is rightfully ours. It is not enough to participate in elections only, we need to use our voice to make the government listen to us. The citizen should willing to coordinate themselves in groups like artisans, women group, youths groups and people living with a disability. Residents should identify an articulate individual as their spokesperson, Identify the need you want them to address and don’t be confrontational but constructively engage them.” Arileola stressed. In the same vein, Jola Ogunusi Chairman of the Community Development Area at Amuwo-Odofine commended the organization for the enlightenment said: “Impunity from those in power and citizens has been identified as the major reason for the decadence of local government council in Nigeria. The fact that we are in a season of political tussle makes the initiative of community sensitization in South-west highly commendable. It initiative will spur residents to be more engaging and demand what is rightfull theirs from their leaders.”