PROJECTS & REPORTS

Following the United Nations Millennium Development summit held in September 2000 in New York, Nigeria has been committed to the realization of the MDG’s which are aimed at effecting measurable improvement in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens and are related to poverty reduction, education, gender equality, child and maternal health, combating HIV/AIDs, Malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and international cooperation for development by the year 2015.

The MVPF project is concerned with issues that impact growth, accountability and service delivery and is supported by the Department For International Development (DFID). It is being implemented by development partners like the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), Action Aid International Nigeria (AAIN) and the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) in collaboration with other civil society organisations across the country.

It is to this end the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), in collaboration with Coalition for Change (C4C) organized a one - day workshop to sensitize participants on the Millennium Development Goals project and the Monitoring of Virtual Poverty Fund (MVPF) projects in Benue State.

The workshop which took place at the Pope John Paul II Pastoral Center Makurdi drew participants from Gboko, Gwer East and Makurdi LGA’s of Benue State. These included; Traditional Council members, representatives of the State Ministries, CSOs, Local Monitors and the Media.

Welcome Address
Hadiza Uyot of Women Environmental Programme gave the welcome remark on behalf of the Executive Director of the organization, Ms Priscilla M. Achakpa. In her address, she stated that the main purpose for the monitoring of the MDG projects is to establish an effective monitoring and Evaluation framework as a fundamental requirement for the implementation of a coherent plan that is result-based and objective in achieving the MDGs.

She further said WEP merited the award to monitor the projects in Benue State alongside others in 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory.

Keynote Address
JDPC representative Ms. Ireti Disu in her keynote address reiterated the fact that the DRG (Debt Relief Gains) accorded Nigeria by the Paris Club was on condition that the amount is used for developmental projects. She also stressed the need for participants to take government projects as their own and contribute in their various ways to ensure that meaningful achievements are attained.

The Coalitions for Change (C4C) representative, Mr. Obono Martin in his address gave a reflection to buttress a point on the need for collaboration with stakeholders. He said some of the objectives of C4C were to help in identifying gaps, challenges, and to provide technical assistance in order to proffer solutions through dialogue which he said was the way forward in monitoring the changes in our development.

The BENGONET representative, Mrs. Hembadoon Gum in her goodwill message stated that project abandonment by contractors was rampant and no one knew where to channel their concerns hence the programme was timely and sought to provide participants with the knowledge on who to hold accountable.

Chief Gbakoron, representative of the Ter Gboko commended the efforts of WEP on its implementation of such a laudable cause. “The invitation amazed me and I decided I must be here to give voice to such a credible effort whilst educating myself in the process”.

Lead Paper Presentation
The lead paper for the day was presented by Mr. Emmanuel Tembe, Executive Director of Green Watch Initiatives in Makurdi, on “NEED FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CSO’s AND THE GOVERNMENT: Millennium Development Goals as a case study. He gave examples of CSO’s and stated that one of the Millennium Development Goals seeks to develop a global partnership with CSO’s and the private sector in pursuit of development, poverty eradication and an opportunity to contribute to the realization of the MDGs.

Corruption and bad governance which are the main causes of entrenching poverty for the masses, thus enriching a few.
Non-localization of MDGs as an important aspect of the challenges of failure to meet these targets.
Skepticism on the part of government towards CSOs involvement on the MDGs

He stated that successful achievement of the MDGs would be a collective responsibility for all stakeholders while he recommended the following as the way forward:

The need for greater partnership among CSO’s, their client communities and local authorities to enhance coordination, improved service delivery and qualitative use of resources.
Facilitation of harmonious working relationships through information sharing, lessons learned and proper coordination were suggested means of effective localization of MDGs by CSO’s.
Prioritization of basic social services and creation of economic opportunities for the poor.

General Discussions
Participants noted with thanks the presentation of Mr. Tembe for creating a rich ground for the day’s discussion.

Gaps Identified
-It was resolved that lack of Needs Assessment and prioritization of services in the various Local Government Areas were responsible for the improper citing of projects. Abandonment of projects by contractors and low quality project were also mentioned.

-Participants mentioned that part of the problem was lack of orientation and enlightenment of the citizenry on the MDG projects.

-Some Traditional leaders were also blamed for accepting the government’s strategy of citing projects where it favoured them (government).

After the acknowledgement of these gaps, among others, participants were encouraged to show more interest in community development which can be achieved by personal tasks and donations. They expressed their joy at the presence of the Royal Fathers at the forum and believed that henceforth, ways would be devised to stop government from imposing projects on them.

One of the Royal Fathers pledged the support of the Traditional Rulers towards meaningful development of their communities.

Participants thanked WEP, C4C and JDPC for sensitizing and empowering them on how to hold their leaders accountable and to be conscious of happenings in their immediate environment. More especially that they know the CSO’s will give voice to their concerns.

Mr. Mathew Obono responded that C4C has a link to policy makers and reports sent to them by JDPC can be tabled before the policy makers for informed their decisions concerning project budgeting at the federal level.

More light was thrown on ways of channeling concerns to the government by the lead presenter. These were; Newspaper publications, the State House of Assembly through constituency representatives and advocacy visits.

Presentations
The second session commenced with a presentation on MDG/VPF and the need for partnership in the attainment of MDGs. It was facilitated by Mr. Raphael Ikyaabo of WEP. He gave an overview of the MDGs and VPF. He went further to list all the on -going projects in Benue State to the participants. A good percentage of the participants were not aware of the existence of these projects in their localities.

Ms. Ireti Disu went through the questionnaire to be used for monitoring of the projects. The questionnaire is designed to monitor education, health and water sectors of the government.

Discussions
Participants decried the irregularities in the distribution of these projects as some communities had as low as 1 project while others, especially Gboko had up to15 projects.
One of the chiefs sought to know if government was aware of this tool and the response from Mr. Martin Obono was in the affirmative, saying the process was a compliment to government efforts.

Ms. Ireti Disu encouraged the participants to go back to their communities and verify the the existence of the projects as that was the reason for the forum.

Participants sought to know how they were to handle financial constraints and arising problems of the exercise. Ms. Disu responded that monthly meetings would be held by WEP and the monitors and the issues would be addressed.

Fears were expressed by some participants that the government may oppose the M and E exercise, but stressed that the work need to be done.

Participants suggested that WEP be set up in all the state Local Government Areas. Hadiza Uyot explained that WEP had contacts in the LGA’s at the moment and would certainly love to expand in the near future (as funding enables).

At the end of the workshop, a communiqué was drafted and adopted by the participants. Copies of the presentations were also made available to them. Bags and T-shirts were distributed to participants courtesy, JDPC Ijebu-Ode.

Conclusion
Participants expressed their gratitude for the information gained from the forum and said it was an eye opener to them. One of the Royal fathers representing Gboko, the LGA with the highest number of projects was seemingly aware of the existence of very few. The participants pleaded for more of such awareness programmes from WEP and other organizations and hoped that the forum would be extended to other parts of the State for more awareness and information.

WEP appreciates the support given to them by C4C and JDPC to carry out this activity, without which it would not have been possible to sensitize the people of the target Local Government Areas on the MVPF projects and promise to ensure that the project attains its set objectives in the long run.

Monitoring of Extractive Solid Minerals in the FCT

WEP, with support from Global Green grants Fund (GGF), implemented series of activities to catalogue the effects of reckless extractive and mining activities in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, and build the capacity of local communities to resist such harmful activities.

Planned activities in the project tagged Monitoring of Extractive Solid Minerals in the FCT included monitoring and discussions in 5 communities, public forum, and information sharing and media activities. The target communities identified for this intervention were Gwagwalada, Kuje, Chika, Mpape and Karmo. Thus WEP has been actively involved in sensitizing the communities on the hazards of mining activities as well as the dangers created by the activities of individuals and construction companies.

The choice of the FCT as the project location was informed by the fact of the developing status of Abuja as Nigeria’s new capital city. Abuja has witnessed unprecedented physical development in the past decade occasioned by the relocation of government offices, diplomatic missions, and multinational firms. However, behind the seeming glitter of the city, there are tales of woe in geographical communities devasted by corporations and individuals extracting building materials such as sand, rocks and stone chippings as well as solid minerals.

In recent times there has been widespread illegal exploration of mineral resources as well as excavation activities by corporations and individuals. Interestingly this is done with the ignorance of most Nigerians and at the detriment of the communities in which these corporations operate.

WEP obtained the grant from GGF upon the recommendation of Environemtal Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth International Nigeria. Environmental Rights Action (ERA) is a Nigerian advocacy non-governmental organisation founded to deal with environmental human rights issues in Nigeria. ERA is the Nigerian chapter of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), the world environmental justice federation campaigning to protect the environment and to create sustainable societies.

Findings made during the focal group discussions and monitoring of sites in the target communities formed the basis of discussion and plans of action by residents to combat the environmental degradation in their areas. The findings ranged from effects on livelihoods: topology of farming terrains disturbed, dumps and craters forming artificial lakes, illegal lumbering activities, environmental pollution etc.

The action plans per community indicated that the intervention by residents would be carried out in a time frame of between 3 – 4 months and will involve initiatives to promote environmental friendly activities as well as advocacy meetings with relevant stakeholders. Apart from the plans, there were calls for appropriate legislative framework and sanctions to check these activities as well as the operation of such companies. The companies in question were urged to upscale their social responsibilities particularly to host communities.

Worthy of mention is the evident enthusiasm shown by the community residents in approaching the environmental concerns in a proactive manner in their respective areas. During the public forum residents were also able to deliberate on common problems and challenges facing slum dwellers in the FCT as well as how to engage with stakeholders and civil authorities in a non-confrontational manner.

Creating Awareness & Developing Action Points For Implementing The National Gender Policy

In other to bring about the realization of the goals and objectives of the National Gender Policy, Women Environmental Program (WEP) in conjunction with Action Aid International Nigeria with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on February 18th - 19th 2008 organizes an interactive session. This interactive workshop brought together civil society groups, government establishments and agencies, media practitioners, representatives from traditional institutions and the private sector. The participants came from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and total forty-five in number.

The workshop had three objectives which were to raise consciousness and awareness of the target groups on the National Gender Policy, to facilitate and design programs for the implementation of National Gender Policy and to deepen the engagement of the target groups in promoting gender equality. Hence, the workshop had its theme as Promoting Gender Equality for Sustainable Development using the National Gender Policy. With WEP positioned to lead and coordinate an initiative to support the concrete realization of the projects objectives.

The Executive Director of WEP Priscila Achakpa in her welcome speech maintained that there is a conscientious drive to promoting and internalizing best practices on issues of sustainable development particularly at the grassroots and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals especially in the gender equality component in WEP and other developmental organizations and therefore urged participants to take advantage of their diverse fields of specialization to create awareness on policy and seek partnership in designing programs that would integrate and promote gender equality.

The Country Director of Action Aid International Nigeria, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, in his remark acknowledged the fact that every society has the capacity to develop and all societies strive for development as this is synonymous with progress. He reiterated the need for citizens to participate in the economy, politics and social development of the society so as to promote sustainable development. He further advocated the need to challenge patriarchy in all its manifestations in domestic production, paid employment, culture and religion, sexuality, male violence, the state and specifically promote women’s rights.

Structure and Methodology of Workshop
The workshop which was facilitated by four resource persons was divided into two phases- the technical session and the interactive session. With the technical session focusing on the background to the National Gender Policy, the General thrust of the policy and concluding with experience sharing by participants on gender perspectives and dimensions in the Nigeria society.

The lively interactive and highly participatory sessions had participants grouped into four key sectors- the private sector, NGOs/ CSOs, the media and traditional institution focusing on policy and institutional framework, guiding principles and priorities with all groups identifying society, culture and tradition, religion, ignorance, lack of economic empowerment, class status ideology among others as major constraints and challenges in tackling gender issues.

Towards the end of the workshop, in small working groups focusing on each sectors, participants applied the knowledge acquired during the workshop to develop action points for the implementation of the National Gender Policy. Key focuses were on what to do, concerning what, the ‘why’ of intended action, means of verification and measurement of achievement, and resources required. Each action point developed was within given time frames.
Results and Outputs
The impact of the workshop was evidently seen in the participants who were highly enthusiastic and displayed willingness in engaging proactive measures to the development of the action points. The workshop no doubt achieved the points stated.

Awareness and consciousness of target groups were increased on achieving gender equality through the National Gender Policy
Action points for implementing the National Gender Policy among the target groups were developed
Enhanced knowledge and common consensus on the feminist values, patriarchal issues and gender equality
Enhanced capacity of public advocates and social movement to engage in the implementation of the National Gender Policy.

Monitoring the MVPF Projects in Benue State

Monitoring of Extractive Solid Minerals in the FCT