Communities’ Alliance against Displacement (CAD) and SPACES FOR CHANGE (S4C) organised phase 2 of the CAD 2018 capacity building program for Community leaders and representatives in Ikeja, Lagos State, in November, 2018. The objective of the capacity building programs is to train grass-root communities on how to organise their communities for sustainable development with particular focus on Housing and urban governance. This covers how to build and manage channels of communication with city planning authorities, understanding the legal framework, what inclusive community regeneration is, among a host of other housing and urban governance related issues.

Several communities were represented at the November program including Oko-baba, Ifesowapo, Toluwani of Mainland Local Government Area (LGA), Apapa LGA’s Badia East, Badia West, Badagry LGA’s Mowo-phase 2, and Somolu LGA’s Ebute-Ilaje, Ago-Egun, Isale-Akoka communities, among other participants.

The program was divided into 4 sessions covering ‘Understanding Political Candidates Manifestoes’, ‘Organising Town-hall meetings’, and ‘Electoral Inclusivity for vulnerable populations (women, youth and persons living with disability)’.

Understanding Political Candidates Manifestoes

Mrs. Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director of S4C facilitated session one. She reviewed the campaign manifestos of two parties namely Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) with particular emphasis on their development plans for housing and critical infrastructure sectors. Read her review below:

A. The PDP manifesto highlights the national housing deficit of 17million as one grave challenge being faced in Nigeria which it states is due to poor management of land, high incidence of poverty, high property transaction costs, and lack of employment among others. The party proposes to remedy the housing challenges by:

1. building one million houses across the country through Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) for low-income groups. S4C notes that there are challenges in using the PPP system as private investors (often also the property developer) operate profit oriented vehicles which in nature opposes the State vision of affordable housing for the poor.
2. introducing tax deductions will be issued to citizens who have mortgages. S4C notes that although this is a good proposal, it does not target informal sector which is currently largely off-grid the tax database.
3. loans based on the registration under the pension fund. S4C notes that this also will benefit only those in the civil service and in pensionable employment.
4. simplify and reduce property transaction cost (certificate of occupancy and other statutory property documentation).
5. PDP plans to encourage private sector investment; but did not specify how this will be done.
6. repeal of the Land Use Act, 1978 and the outdated compensation rates. PDP plans to revise the compensation rates to an equivalent of the prevailing market rate. PDP also plans to recapitalise the Federal Mortgage Bank. PDP also promises affordable mortgages however, S4C notes that this is a tall promise as mortgages are usually more feasible for those who have steady employment and source of income.

B. The APC manifesto focuses on critical infrastructure covering road, rail (Eastern rail, and the Coastal rail- Lagos to Calabar), power, primary health care, internet, solar energy but not housing in particular.

S4C notes that the alarming national housing deficit requires more than legislative reforms proposed by the PDP. Indeed it requires government prioritisation of social housing and the investment in and promotion of grass-root housing cooperatives that are accessible to low-income groups who form the bulk of the Nigerian populace with an estimated 88million Nigerians living below 2United States Dollars daily in extreme poverty as reported in the Nigerian Tribune (As Nigerians sink further into poverty) November 6, 2018.

S4C’s Mrs. Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri advised participants to timely mobilise their community members to interrogate political parties’ manifestos on how the manifestos will benefit citizens, especially marginalised groups.  She urged them to push for community development at such engagements; and eschew vote selling and election apathy.

Organising Town-hall meetings

Mr. Francis Onahor of Community Life Project (CLP) facilitated the second session on organising effective non-partisan town hall meetings. He defined a townhall meeting as a forum for town/community inhabitants to collectively address their community’s concerns e.g. waste disposal practices, amenities, etc.

Before the town hall meeting organisers must identify the objectives of the meeting and the outcomes intended to guide planning, scheduling (dates should be well-fixed to avoid clash with other notable activities e.g. market days, religious events or other fixture in the community), invitations, identify resources (planners, sponsors, number of participants, safe, neutral and accessible venue, mobilisation strategies, meeting agenda, follow-up protocol, refreshments, meeting chair, high-table or not et al).

Organisers must be prompt to the meeting and adhere to the set agenda. After the meeting, organisers should hold a post event review meeting to assess forum success, send out thank you notes to all participants, and discuss action points and ensure follow through on recommended next steps.

Electoral Inclusivity for vulnerable populations (women, youth and persons living with disability)

Ms. Chimdinma Onwuneme of S4C facilitated session three. Participants learned that achieving an inclusive electoral process entails securing two basic citizen rights: to vote and to be voted for. Ms. Chimdinma spoke on the right to vote. She stated that a large number of eligible voters miss the opportunity to cast their vote due to several barriers to voting. Barriers to voting occur at various stages of the electoral process e.g. during voter registration, getting to the ballot, casting the ballot, and voter education.

Resolving the numerous challenges in the electoral  process requires the introduction of:

• innovation e.g. the inclusion of mobile phone registration;
• timely voter literacy programs (this should encompass the translation of electoral documentation into indigenous languages and Pidgin English);
  • Support for illiterate voters through initiatives that promote electoral access e.g. targeted voter education materials, signposts in the polling units and the use of logos and/or photos as well as names on the ballot paper etc;
• Specialized training and tools for poll officials on their role descriptions and checklist of tasks for completion to avoid errors in their performance on Election Day;
• mobile polling units useful in rural areas and to assist people who cannot travel far due to disability, illness or age;
• priority queues useful for voters with special needs such as pregnant women, parents with young children, the elderly and people with disabilities, receiving priority and specialised assistance (where necessary e.g. for people with disabilities- persons living with sight impairment or persons living with hearing impairment) in the queue can be a crucial determinant for whether they are able to cast their vote;
• regulations for displaced persons, for absentee voting are often central to ensuring that internally displaced people can vote, either for the area where they normally live or where they are currently living;
• solving the challenges around casting the ballot necessitates protecting the right to a secret ballot and providing convenience voting measures.
  • The former requires strengthening the electoral legislation before the election and enacting clearly defined operational instructions to protect the secrecy of the vote, including prescribing specific measures for orderly operation of polling units, providing sufficient space and isolation booths in polling units, only allowing one voter at a time in isolation booths and issuing ballot papers one at a time. The above measures mean that priority must be given to training of poll officials on compliance with secrecy provisions and conducting targeted public outreach to educate voters on their right to secrecy, especially among vulnerable populations such as women and illiterate voters.
  • For the latter, convenience voting measures include provision of early voting, postal voting, and Out of Country and Diaspora voting, as available voting facilities for citizens who need them.

Ms. Chimdinma urged communities to galvanise the youth to complete the voter registration process as it offers a useful means of identification- during e.g. Police raids which are quite frequent in informal communities, -and franchise among others.

After the program, CAD urged participants to be bold in the face of election security risks, and to organise their communities to respond appropriately and make timely report of suspicious and criminal activities to community leaders and the Nigeria Police for containment.

As part of its contribution to galvanising voters to the 2019 polls, CAD announced that it is co-organising a townhall in January 2019 in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos Central Senatorial District, Lagos State. The objective of the town hall is to bring together target groups with political parties and political candidates to deliberate on action plans for community development and interrogate party manifestos.