Your
Excellency,
THE NEED TO PASS A BILL FOR THE
CREATION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSEMBLY (CDA) IN ALL THE AUTONOMOUS
COMMUNITIES IN (NAME OF STATE)
I
wish to commend your leadership dexterity so far in the governance of (Name of
State). I want to use this medium to bring for your consideration the need to
revamp and redefine the governance structures and pattern in the autonomous
communities in (Name of State).
Your Excellency Sir, if considered by you and when
enshrined in our constitution by the passing as a Bill in the (Name of State)
House of Assembly will establish dignity, equality and fairness in the way and
manner autonomous community governance should be administered.
Town Union Operation And Activities
In Autonomous Communities In (Name of State).
The
town union in our communities was unilaterally designed and supposedly for
socio economic engineering and development at the community level, they are to
serve as a link between the government and the community and they function to
ensure constitutional adherence by member of the community .But for many years
before and now, most town unions have to a great extent abused this premise. Most
town unions and their braches within
the country and diasporas have become
instrument high jacked by some undesirable elements in most communities to
create and perpetrate deep inequality, molestations ,intimidations, attrition,
extortions, unproductive group dynamics, dirty religious, traditional and
cultural politics, misrepresentation of the youths and women, embezzlement of
community development funds and under developing the affected communities. Such
nefarious escapades have proved in the affected communities that town unions
are now instrument gangs of interest groups high jack to pursue their course. It
has come to a point in affected communities that any other union or association
is declared illegitimate by existing town unions, thereby putting and enforcing
measures to choke the interest of other unions and associations in affected
communities. Some victims of the nefarious escapades of some town unions have
as groups, families and individuals taken such town union to the law courts on
cases ranging from violation and abuse of human rights, infringement and threats
to lives and proprieties and to so many other related cases. All such cases
have been won in the law court by these victims.
The
extent at which this lugubrious development have gone have put most communities
in a state of unnoticeable anarchy.
The Illegitimacy of Town UNIONS
Your
Excellency, there is no constitutional provision in the 1999 constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Town Unions should be the governing and
developmental body of any autonomous community in Nigeria.
The
activities and operation of town unions as regards any form of sole governance
and development in our autonomous communities categorically is illegitimate.
They are interest groups in our communities whose interests, activities and
operation must as matter of legality, exclusively exclude them in any capacity,
from the legitimate governance and enforcement of by-laws that must govern any
autonomous community.
The Creation Community Development
Assembly
Your
Excellency, to meet up with the fast increasing, expanding and growing
development in our world today, fueled by contemporary, inevitable,
developmental and implementable initiates, there is a need to create autonomous
communities that will have receptive and compliant environment to this trend.
The human race is taking a firm grip on the need for proper recognition,
representation and relevance, this can only be achieved in an environment where
there is stability and productive dynamics in governance.
To
an appreciable extent, stability and productive dynamics in governance have
been achieved at the Local Government Area, States and Federal government
levels, there is also need for such brand of stability and autonomous community
level.
An
avenue is the creation and establishment of Community Development Assembly (CDA)
in each community in (Name of State).
The
legitimacy to manage the affairs of governance and development by CDAs in our
community will be certified by the (Name of State) House of Assembly passing a
Bill for its creation constitutionally and defining their modus oparandi.
The
CDAs will at the community level stimulate community democracy, establish the
legitimacy to governance, give room for proper accountability, equity,
fairness, security, autonomy ,checks and balances and prepare people at this
level for higher leadership and political expedition in the future.
EXTRACTS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ASSEMBLY (CDA) MODUS OPERANDI
(i)
The CDA will be
headed by a Community Development Coordinator (CDC), assisted by a woman who is
the Community Development Deputy/vice Coordinator (CDDC or CDVC) and other
community principal officers are to emerge from the CDA, depending on the scope
of the community’s interest.
(ii)
The members of CDA will be elected from the
villages that make up each community. 5 members from each village comprising of
at least 2 women. They shall be called Village Representatives (VR). This
arraignment will ensure a balanced and fair representation of villages in each
community. It will eliminate the jamboree like, pandemonium, unorganized and
lack of objectivity in resolution and by-laws making that are not
constitutionally sound and sound conscience compliance which most town union
meetings are characterized with.
(iii)
Each tenure shall
be for 4 years. Maximum tenure for any elected CDA members is 8 years.
(iv)
The CDA will
create avenue for community internal revenue generation. One avenue is through
the election of CDA members, all interested male VR candidates must pay
ascertain non refundable amount to the community to obtain a nomination form.
The interested women candidates and the physically challenged are not to pay
the said amount to obtain their own nomination forms, but if after the village
elections, they win, the female candidate and physically challenged will pay
half amount of the nomination form before being sworn in as CDA members. The
money generated from the sales of the forms will serve as Community Development
Fund.
(v)
Election of Village
Representative (VR) will be at the village levels in each village with the community
appointing independent election agents and returning officers to carry out the
elections and announce the results.
(vi)
To ensure free
and fair CDA and VR elections, the community appointed independent election
agents and returning officers are to carry out the election under the
supervisions of the (Name of State) Ministry of Local Government Area and Chieftaincy
matters or by a team led by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Community
Matters.
This
provision must out be based on any registered existing political party
interest, rather on exclusively and predominantly individuals in the community
and community interest.
DEFINING THE LINE BETWEEN
CULTURE/TRADITION AND THE EXTENT OF THEIR INFLUENCE
Your
Excellency, the extent at which we are fast growing has made most cultural and
traditional practices obsolete and aboard, of which when observed now have no
contemporary Compliance and relevance. We have in every autonomous community
culture and tradition fanatics and the liberated folk. A system of leadership
that does not accommodate both does not accommodate some International Treaty and
Constitutional provision the Universal Declaration for human rights. UN Chapter
of 1948 states that; all human being are born free and equal in dignity and
rights. Resolution 41/128 UN Assembly the human rights to development includes
the full implementation of the rights of the people to self the determination
which also includes their exercise to full sovereignty over their national weights
and resources. Untied Nations Convention of 1966 provides for political rights
to all a sundry irrespective of colour, race, tribe, ability or
disability.
There
is need for the creation of two Igwe’s Cabinet in each community. They should
comprise of the Traditional Igwe’s Cabinet headed by the Traditional Prime
Minister, this group should focus on the custody of tradition and culture since
all their members are traditional title holders. The other should be Igwe’s Domestic
Cabinet headed by a Personal Assistant to the Igwe, made up of Special Advisers
to the Igwe on Legal, Political, Security, MDGs, Youths etc matters, they are
to be approved by the CDA when nominated by the Igwe.
CREATION OF COMMUNITY JUDICIAL BODY
Your
Excellency, there is need to establish Community Judicial Body. The members are
to be selected from the 2 Igwe’s Cabinet, the CDA and some reputable community
members. This body will ensure profound, balanced and judicious verdicts void
of bias or prejudice in community cases brought before them. They are to serve
as jury members in community.
CONCLUSION
Your
Excellency, having made a sketch representation of the CDA premise in this
medium, I believe that the effectiveness and productivity which the
establishment and implementation of CDA and its objective in (Name of State)
will create and attract National cognacs which will cause an adoption of it in
the Federal Constitution.
I
thank you for your consideration in advance based on the perception I have as
regards your personality and leadership prowess.
________________
(Name
of writer)
Name
of L.G.A