CAJA launches project to make youths hold politicians accountable for campaign promises

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability, CAJA, has launched a project to enlighten youths to hold politicians accountable, especially on campaign promises.
Speaking at the project’s inception meeting, held in Kano on Sunday, Kabiru Dakata, Executive Director of CAJA said the project was created to strengthen democracy.
According to him, Nigerians, especially youth, thought democracy starts and ends in election, while they supposed to hold politicians accountable for their campaign promises.
Dakata noted that Nigeria is into its present situation because youths, who constituted larger population in the country, do not hold the politicians they voted for into account to force them to fulfill their campaign promises.
“Nigerian youths thought democracy starts and ends at election. They do not look at the post election; what politicians promised them during election campaigns and to see whether those promises are fulfilled.
“Democracy is beyond election. Our youths need to rise to the occasion to hold politicians accountable for campaign promises, that is the way to strengthen democracy and make the governments do the needful,” he said.
Dakata said the aim of the project is to enlighten the youths deeply on democracy.
He explained that part of the project was the creation of Democracy Ambassadors Network, DAN, a group of some selected youths in some Local Government areas of the state.
He said the DAN members would go all nooks and crannies to enlighten and sensitize youths on their right to enjoy dividend of democracy, aimed at strengthening the democracy for better society.
In his remarks, Hamza Safiyanu Kachako, Supervising Commissioner, Kano State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, commended CAJA for coming up with the programme.
He noted that youth as backbone of the society, must hold public office holders accountable in order to have good governance.
Kachako hinted that the administration of governor Abba Yusuf had planned big for the youth of Kano in the near future, adding that the government is willing to invest heavily on them (youth) in order to be self reliant and pride of the state and the nation as a whole.
On his part, the Coordinator of DAN, Aminu Mukhtar Isah promised to discharge their civic responsibility diligently, aimed at strengthening the democracy.
According to Mr Isah, the members of DAN would go into communities to engage youth and enlighten them on democracy and what they supposed to do to enjoy dividend of democracy.