Lagos:  The growing awareness of communities to important aspects of governance such as budget implementation and development seems to be creating discomfort among the ruling class, particularly as the 2011 general elections nears.

The coming of a United Kingdom (UK)-based advocacy group, 'Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN) to the Niger Delta region is the pivot of the increasing awareness for community people in the region to know their demand for it , as opposed to the poor and apathetic attitude which held sway in communities to issues of governance, budgeting and politics, even when they should be more concerned because the rural area is where the bulk of the people live, hence it is in dire need of development.

The hitherto apolitical disposition of many a grassroots people, including youth of voting age and elders alike in the Niger Delta region created a situation where the carry-go syndrome, as it were, by the ruling party became fashionable, hence, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for instance has clung tenaciously to power in most states across the country since 1999.

Presently, the party is still determined to lead the core Niger Delta States because of its abundant oil and gas resources, without a corresponding development there, which at least would pass as a recompense for the people whose environment has continually suffered devastation and degradation.

In Bayelsa State, for instance, the growing unpopularity of the incumbent administration of Chief Timipre Sylva occasioned by its poor performance has created disenchantment among people of the mainly coastal state towards governance and electoral processes.

Daily Champion observed that many indigenes of the Niger Delta states have never seen a copy of the budget; even though it was supposed to be a public document. Although, the Bayelsa State Government did place a copy of the 2009 budget on its website, it was discovered that projects mentioned were never executed, let alone getting to the people at the grassroots.

The advocacy of Stakeholders Democracy Network in transparency and accountability has sparked off a political consciousness in the minds of the people; hence, the seeming readiness to participate in the political process. Sometimes, government is perturbed that such advocacy may be out to ridicule it; but the network, clarifies that it is rather a partner of government in making the business of governance easier and acceptable to the people.

The SDN, in a preliminary report unveiled in early February, after a tour of over eighteen communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States, announced a renewed interest by foreign and local partners in the monitoring of the 2010 budget performance of the governors in the Niger Delta states and the expected infrastructural development.

The group, in partnership with Local and State Civil society groups and activists, led by the International Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Hurst Croft and its Country Executive Director, Mr. Inemo Samiama, said though the preliminary report showed slight improvement in the awareness level and presence of infrastructures in some communities, the Niger Delta states lack proper machinery of transparency and accountability through the implementation of the budget.

They said the collaborative efforts of the group with indigenous civil society groups and the group's presentation of computer systems and Internet Communication Technology (ICT) facilities in some communities have assisted in the research processes about the performance of the state chief executives.

Mr. Croft said the group recognizes the fact that the issue of accountability is critical to the development and the sustenance of peace in the Niger Delta region, adding that, "We have decided to assist the people in monitoring the budget performance of these states and also expose those lapses and errors by those exploring the system to their own selfish advantage."

He said despite of the huge funds accrued to the Niger Delta States and the false claims of massive development plans, the reality is that the people have been further thrown into abject poverty amidst dilapidating infrastructures, but, "It does mean it cannot improve. But now, nothing seems to be working in terms of budget implementation and proper allocation of projects.

"In most of the local councils visited by the group, there were noticeable pattern of non-accessibility to the elected leaders and until a proper leadership is put in place through free and fair electoral processes, the people might wait a little longer for the desired change."

While presenting certificates of completion of Information Technology courses to over thirty-six indigenes of the Elebele Community of Ogbia Local Government area of Bayelsa State, in line with its training and advocacy campaign, the SDN urged the people to intensify interest in the proper implementation of projects and financial policies of the state government to prevent corrupt practices and promote development in the region.

The SDN Country Representative, Inemo Samiama, who presided over the inaugural graduation, said during an interaction with opinion leaders in some communities visited, there was a growing demand for change in the leadership styles of the state government. "The people will continue to demand for more due to the obvious lack of development. We have met the people and we are concerned about the abnormal activities in the region. The revenue from oil crude is not being utilised."

Samiama said development should start from the grassroots where the bulk of the people live. He noted that the poor implementation of policies in the Niger Delta states is becoming worrisome; hence the need to give the people the people the necessary civil education and enlightenment to enable them know their rights.

The country representative used the forum to explain that the purpose of setting up the Strenghtening Transparency and Accountability in the Niger Delta (STAND) centre in Ogbia local government was to build the capacity of the local people in ICT, thereby linking the community and its environs to the global information band.

Samiama noted that the graduation was an indication that the STAND centre has been effectively utilised, just as he urged the graduands to be a shining light in the community by bringing the knowledge garnered in training to bare for the overall good of the community and the state in general.

Similarly, Senior Programme Officer, Good Governance and Peace Building, Mrs. Chinedum Adebomi announced that the group would discontinue its yearly subsidy to the centre at the end of this year and hoped that the council authority would ensure see to the sustainability of the centre now that SDN would be handed over to the community "The people should make sure this centre does not crumble," she added.

On the objective of the centre, she said it was to create awareness about transparency and accountability at the local level through the use of ICT tools and hoped that more community folks would enrol en mass for training to discover the world can be at their doorstep, just as she expressed delight that the youths have engaged themselves meaningfully with the services available at the centre.

According to the country representative and senior project officer explained that the project was in association with other civil advocacy groups, including, Pro-Natural International (PNI), the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) and the Department (DFID), just as the duo enjoined the graduates to use the skills acquired to impact on the community and keep the centre alive for others to also benefit.

On the establishment of STAND centres in over six communities across the Niger Delta, including Oporoza and Ogborodo (Delta State), Kpite and Bodo (Rivers State, Ogbia and Elebele (Bayelsa State), the group explained that it was the outcome of an advocacy campaign carried out in the three state to assist the people in monitoring and demanding accountability in the financial records of governments, but stated with emphasis that such campaigns are not intended to attack or ridicule the respective governments.

Worthy of mention is that the STAND centre was first established in Delta State in 2007, after the crisis between the Ijaws and Itshekiris when a friendship library was built for the communities to jointly read, to underscore the fact that they are brother after all, just as computer technology was later introduced to enhance reading and acquire skill at the centre.

To this effect, over 400 youths have gained training at various centres in the Niger Delta and helping to check restiveness and related vices in the volatile region region, while SDN is currently looking in the direction of setting up a Women Development Centre where the culture of the people would be relived and showcased, particularly, plaiting of local hair styles, cooking of traditional meals and dishes among others to curtail the exuberance and undue influence to western ways of life, due to an uncontrolled exposure to television and so on.

Appreciating the efforts of the donors, Chairman of the occasion and Transition Management Committee Chairman of Ogbia Local Government, Hon. Augustine Ogbu while describing the ICT centre as the best thing to have happened to the community, pleaded with SDN not to completely leave the centre under the community management, but should continue to play a supervisory role.

Corroborating the views of the council boss, the Clan Head of Ogbia, HRM King George Lawson paid glowing tributes to SDN for setting up the ICT centre in the community, saying, "it has brought the world to the this community. We are in a new age of technology; ICT makes the world a global village. I am happy that it is gradually creeping to our domain."

He noted that the benefits of the centre to this community was beyond description, just as he charged the graduands to utilize the knowledge acquired to develop themselves and impact same on the community.

Earlier, the Centre manager, Mr. Ogbaje Saint explained that the training programme had covered six specialized areas including, ICT, Conflict Management, tracking Accountability and Transparency, Conflict Resolution and Management. He stated with confidence that the graduands can defend their certificate anywhere they find themselves.

Miss Dorcass Harcourt, while responding on behalf of the ICT beneficiaries at the Ogbia STAND thanked SDN for the opportunity give them to acquire computer and internet skills, noting that it would place them in good stead to become self reliant, as well as to brace up to the challenge in the competitive labour market.

In the views of Community Conciliation and Development Initiative (CADI), one of the partners of SDN, the issue of poor budgeting should not be attributed to the sitting governors alone, but to the lacklustre attitude of the people in the past.

Co-ordinator of CADI, Mr. Kelechi Justin said "if the people follow the programme of STAND, the interaction between the government and the people will promote public trust. The state and local government should allow the people to know more about the finances of their administration and the projects to be executed.  He said these would make the people be ready to pay their tax and ensure that development is achieved, even as he noted that such openness on the part of government would not be difficult for the people to make informed decision based on what they have seen on ground.

"The group also had to help to bring about communal development to discourage over dependence on oil. If the government had managed the proceeds from oil well, poverty and underdevelopment would not be an issue. These governors should allow the people to known how their money is being spent."