Nnewi stakeholders partner PPDC on improved project monitoring, community dev’t 

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka 

Stakeholders in Nnewi Anambra State have pledged to partner with the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) to enhance project monitoring and community development in the area.

PPDC, a renowned non-governmental organization, promotes access to justice, transparency, and accountability in Nigeria’s development projects.

Ikengaonline reports that the collaborative effort is aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability, and effective implementation of projects to benefit the local community.

Speaking at the Royal Palace of the Nnewi Traditional Ruler, Igwe Kenneth Orizu, the organization’s Deputy Senior Programs Officer, Samuel Akende, emphasized that the intervention aligns with Anambra’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Year 2 action plan under the Fiscal Transparency thematic area.

According to Akende, PPDC’s focus includes addressing inadequate citizen participation in the budget cycle, tackling ineffective management of public resources, and promoting feedback mechanisms on budget implementation. 

He noted that enhanced citizen participation fosters increased trust and ownership of the budget process, leading to improved public accountability, higher tax compliance, and subsequently, boosted revenue and effective service delivery.

Also speaking, Precious Adigwe and Jonathan Ebe of PPDC, said the recent arrival of local government autonomy in states informed the need to sensitize citizens on active participation in governance to ensure transparency and accountability at the grassroots.

“PPDC is looking closely to sensitize citizens on the need to engage and know what is happening around them in terms of governance. We have been working in collaboration with the state government but we felt the need to assess citizens’ level of knowledge and participation in governance at the local level,” Adigwe said.

Ugochi Freeman, Executive Director of Creative Minds Centre for Youth and Community Development (CM-CYCD), acknowledged PPDC’s impactful programs in Nnewi, including sensitization, driving school rehabilitation, and ensuring quality completion of abandoned projects.

The Chairman Nsuko Ora Nnewi, Dr Maduka Atuenyi, in a meeting, commended PPDC’s interventions, stressing the negative impact of ineffective budget utilization and corruption on the community’s development.

“In the 2023 budget, billions of naira was allocated for Nnewi and most of the roads they claimed have been done were never on ground. Not even the value of one naira has been felt in this community,” he said.

Representing the traditional ruler of Nnewi, Barr Obi Charles Orizu, the Crown Prince, decried the lack of government presence, citing deplorable road infrastructure. He said the community welcomes partnership and participation opportunities that will lead to development of the area.

“Before now, it was a community affair. We do everything for the roads, school, water etc until recently that we started having government patronage.

“Whatever you people want us to do as engagement with your NGO because our participation will help us more we can do and can even borrow more hand to do them,” he said.