Desirous of good governance and rapid development in Katsina State, the Executive Governor of the State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, CON, initiated a retreat for the executive branch of the government. The retreat, organized by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development SCDDD), took place in Kaduna, away from home, to avoid disruption of attention, and encourage free atmosphere and bonding among members of the cabinet.
From 20 – 21 February 2021, the whole cabinet consisting of both political and career office holders retreated to the comfortable ambience of the Fifth Chukker Polo Resorts at Maraban Jos, Kaduna. The theme of the Retreat was “Capacity-Building and Attitudinal Change for Effective Service Delivery to the People of Katsina State
In June 2020, the Borno State Government produced its maiden “25-Year Development Framework” and a “10-Year Strategic Transformation Plan” in one document which envisioned the state to be “a secure, competitive agric-business and commercial hub anchored on prosperous dignified people and sustainable development” with the mission “to restore the age-old honour, dignity and prosperity of the state, while ensuring that all citizens and future generations have access to necessities of life and thrive at every stage of their lives.” The document laid out elaborate principles and pillars to achieve the goals and placed the burden of implementation on key critical stakeholders, particularly the civil servants and elected local government officials.
2. Based on the susbsisting unwrittren but valid understanding between the Savannah Centre and the Borno State Government, the Centre (SCDDD) submitted a consultancy proposal which the State Government happily accepted for the conduct of a four day Workshop for the elected local government and key civil servants from the state and local government councils titled, “Good Governance and Effective Implementation of the Borno State 25-Year Development Framework and 10-Year Strategic Transformation Plan 2020.” This was informed by the consideration that most of the elected and local government officials, identified as critical stakeholders in the implementation processes, would not have known about the existence of the State’s dvelopment framework and their crucial role in its implementation.
Goal and Objectives
3. The main goal of the project was to increase the awareness of the participants, particularly, the elected local government officials about the State’s Development Framework and its centrality to the development of the State and the 27 Local Government Areas as well as how they (participants) would use the understanding and knowledge to be shared during the 4-day capacity-enhancement programme to draw up development plans and implementation strategies with timelines for their respective LGAs.
4. The Caapacity-building strategies, with Joining Guidelines (see annextures), were framed on five strategic drivers and four enablers of the strategic pillars as identified inthe developwment framework: Human Capital Development;Leadership in Agriculture;Healthy Citizenry; Sustainable Environment; and Regional Trade Hub and the enablers as Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement; Purposeful Infrastructure Devfelopment; Accountable Governance; and Peace and Security. In specific terms, the workshop aimed to:
conduct an overview of the 10-Year Strategic Transformation Plan with a view to determining the present state of affairs;
identify and provide action-based solutions to the challenges faced in each pillar of the plan; and
assist each LGA to produce a sample work plan and implementation strategy with timelines at the end of the workshop.
The first Stakeholders Roundtable Engagement on National Cohesion for its Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue project on the theme; Exploring Nigeria’s Diversity in Promoting National Cohesion and Socio-political Development. The concept of restructuring and its imperativeness as one of the pathways to sustainable development, national prosperity, and a secured polity. Issues around national identity, value reorientation, good governance, parenting, and institutional reformation were brought to the fore. The event came to an end with the necessity of restructuring the system down to the citizenry, as this is the only way to build the nation Nigerians need.
The second edition of Stakeholders Roundtable Engagement” under its flagship project, Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD), on the theme: The Challenges of Insecurity and the Falling of Naira: Its Impact on Nigeria’s Industrialization Agenda, Democratic Development, Unity, and National Cohesion. They engaged in an in-depth and constructive discussion of the challenges of insecurity and naira devaluation, which have taken the front burner in the national discourse, establishing its clear linkages with the scale of “Japaism”, unemployment, and apparent institutional failure, all of which have negatively impacted on the attainment of peace and security, economic prosperity, unity, and national cohesion.
The third Edition on the Stakeholders Roundtable Engagement on National Cohesion for its Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD) Project on the theme: Unbundling National Security for Effective National unity and Prosperity; Food security, Job security/Unemployment, Cyber security, Policing and National Territorial. The event had in attendance, critical stakeholders from diverse sections of Nigerian society. The event outlined the divisive instruments that contributes to a destabilized National Security, buttressing the prioritization of human security as it is a nexus to national security. Ways to achieve and maintain the spheres of national security was extensively discussed with emphasis on “Recognition of citizen inclusion rather than indigen” as a driving force for national unity to be attained.
The Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD) project, is one of the flagship national projects, being undertaken by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) with funding support from MacArthur Foundation, under its “Enhancing Citizens Engagement of Accountability and Social Inclusion Issues around Elections”. The LEAD’s project overall goal is to promote constructive engagement aimed at strengthening national cohesion, good and accountable governance as well as inclusivity, justice, and fairness in the Nigerian polity thereby engendering public trust and confidence in government. The Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue had its Regional Consultative Forum in three regions of Nigeria.
The First Regional Consultative Forum took place in Northeast, Yola, Adamawa State. The THEME of the Regional Forum was “Nigeria and the Challenges of National Unity Beyond the 2023 General Elections Vs the Imperative of Dialogue for National Cohesion, Security and Development”. Amb. Abdullahi Omaki, nooc, fsma, A seasoned diplomat, and former SSA to the President Muhammadu Buhari on International Affairs Matters. He continued to emphasized on the collective responsibility of both the leaders and the followers in other to achieved National cohesion, Unity and Development. In addition, Ms. Halima Oiza Sadiq, the Executive Director, Chachavivi Women and Girl Child Development Foundation also shared her perspective on Enhancing Women’s participation in Nation Building and Social Cohesion. She said Over time women has been regulated, and miss represented and that is why we are still encountering some kinds of less-satisfactions today in the nation building. She urges all the women present to participant when necessary and always stand up for their right.
The second Regional Consultative Forum took place in the ancient city of kano state, northwest, Nigeria. The Theme was still on the Nigeria and the Challenges of National Unity Beyond the 2023 General Elections Vs the Imperative of Dialogue for National Cohesion, Security and Development. An Associate professor from the Department of Political Science, Beyero University Kano, spoke Extensively from a historical point of view how the Nigerian disunity began and traced back to the 1914 amalgamation and the 1914 constitution of Nigeria. Better ways to address the enormous problems of Nigeria was brought forward like the restructuring of Nigeria system and also recreating the National Orientation agency. Participants were drawn from different clusters including societal Organization, media, traditional leaders and Person with disability (PWDs).
Lastly, the third Regional Consultative Forum took place in Anambra state, Southeast region of the country. The events still engaged the stakeholder meeting on the same THEME: Nigeria and the Challenges of National Unity Beyond the 2023 General Elections Vs the Imperative of Dialogue for National Cohesion, Security and Development. The event enumerated the divisive instruments that aids a disadvantaged societal and economic driven Nigeria and also Identifying ways to attain and sustain national cohesion putting the “Heal Nigeria” as the main perspective. Critical issues that can promotes unity, cohesion, and development of Nigeria vis-a-vis variables that are likely to continuously divide the Nigeria polity amongst other things were extensively discussed.
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, had a Seminar on the Nigeria/Korea relations. The event took place at the Envoy Hotel Conference Room; Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja. The Korean/Nigerian conference Seminar was one of the critical roadmaps leading to the Korea/Africa Summit scheduled to take place in June, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.
The Seminar was aimed toward strengthening bilateral relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Korea vis-a-vis Africa at large. The seminar seeks to explore means of collaboration in the area of energy, agriculture, Industrialization and good governance. The seminar had in attendance high-level dignitaries both of African and Korean scholars from a range of quarters, including Federal Government of Nigeria (Ministries, Departments and Agencies- MDAs), members of Diplomatic communities, Organized Private Sector, Security Agencies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as well as the Media amongst others stakeholders.
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development and the Stimson Centre, based in the United States in partnership with a number of organizations, held the African Regional Dialogue on the Summit of the Future (SOTF) with the theme “The Africa We Want and the United Nations We Need” at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria. The event had in attendance high-level African scholars from a range of quarters, including the government, the private sector, security agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth and women groups, and amongst others.
The summit was strategically designed as a medium to collectively identify and analyze issues impacting Africa, both continentally and within the UN system, in preparation for the Summit of the Future Conference scheduled for September 2024. Doable recommendations were brought to the fore front on how to effectively position Africa in global governance, not based on hollow words but rather on its inherent strengths. Critical issues such as the existing gaps between state and non-state actors, the siloed decision-making process across African nations, the flaws of the current UN system and of regional and subregional bodies, and many more were examined. The need for collaboration and unity amongst African states remained a resounding theme throughout the summit.
On the 29th November 2023, Savannah Centre received book donation from the Indian High Commission. The Commission is a strategic partner of the Centre and the books received will, in no small measure, contribute to the Center’s library development.The Centre expressed gratitude to the Indian High Commissioner and his team for the kind gesture.
On the 22nd and 23rd of November 2023, Savannah Centre and its Steering Committee on Drug Abuse in collaboration with the Kano State House of Assembly had a follow-up engagement on “𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)” which already attained the first reading after the redraft activity took place on the 26th and 27th September, 2023.
The activity included rounds of further engagements and interactive sessions with the Kano State House of Assembly and other relevant Stakeholders in Kano. The goal of the activity was to amongst other things to develop further synergy and strategies that would help in facilitating the prompt passage and assent accordingly.
On the 8th of November, 2023, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, held its Stakeholders Roundtable Engagement on National Cohesion for its Leadership Accountability and Effectiveness Dialogue project on the theme: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
The event saw high-level stakeholders from different sections of Nigerian society dissect the concept of restructuring and its imperativeness as one of the pathways to sustainable development, national prosperity, and a secured polity. Issues around national identity, value reorientation, good governance, parenting, and institutional reformation were brought to the fore.
The programme ended with a statement on the necessity of restructuring the system down to the citizenry, as this is the only way to build the nation Nigerians need.
Appreciation to MacArthur Foundation for its continuous and strategic support in galvanising critical national conversations and interventions.
Between the 26th and 27th of September 2023, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development in collaboration with the Kano State House of Assembly (KSHA) under the CIPP project, had an expert desk-review session to analyse line-by-line the “Kano State Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill” for the purpose of re-presentation for debate and passage in the Assembly.
The review meeting provided an opportunity to factor in developing context on drug abuse in the State vis-a-vis strongly established or linked the menace of substance abuse and conflict dynamics at the community level in Kano State and by extension, the North West geo-political zone of Nigeria.
The meeting which was a follow-up to the Policy Advocacy Engagement visit to the leadership of the KSHA 2 weeks ago had in attendance the Kano State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Special Adviser on Enlightenment and Social Mobilization to the Executive Governor of Kano State, as well as Senior Legislative Aids from KSHA, which included; the Directors of Administration, Director of Human Resources and Secretary to the Health Committee in the Kano State House of Assembly (KSHA).
