In a bid to address the out-of-school children menace, the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA) has sought the support of ActionAid Nigeria in strengthening the capacity of its members at the grassroots.
The National Moderator of CSACEFA, Duke Ogbureke stated this when he led the board and management of the coalition on a courtesy visit to the new Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ogbureke expressed worry at the alarming rate of the number of out-of-school children in the country saying that the support would fastrack the development of projects at the grassroots while also ensuring government’s accountability.
According to him, one of the major challenges of the coalition is in the capacity of its members to be able to do what they are mandated to do.
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“We have a challenge of building the capacity of our members across the states and FCT and we hope that the support will help to also implement our third party projects, so the support will be secured.
“The CSACEFA board is also committed to help put ourselves together to have a good and sound system. We have a very transparent financial system now, unlike what was obtainable before,” Ogbureke said.
Also, the Policy Advisor, CSACEFA, Mrs Odinaka Ahanonu, who said that the coalition had remained stronger in spite of challenges it was confronted with, commended ActionAid’s intervention in overcoming its challenges.
In the same vein, the Chairman, Board of Trustee, CSACEFA, Tom Maiyashi, said that addressing the menace of out-of-school children was possible if coalitions would form ties to ensure they hold government accountable to deliver on its promises.
Maiyashi promised that whatever support given to the coalition would not be a waste but would be accounted for.
Responding, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mamedu, said the organisation is working on developing a new strategy that would translate into giving hope to the people.
He said the collaboration with the coalition of about 300 organisations in the country dealing with every aspect of ensuring Nigerian children get quality education is possible.
Mamedu pledged the support of his organisation to the coalition in the areas of capacity building as well as platforms to hold the government accountable.
“We have a lot of work to do with CSACEFA. We are currently developing a new strategy which will be out in June 2024.
“This strategy is around poverty eradication, especially as it relates with multidimensional poverty.
“We are also looking at the strategy on power in the people and we are stepping up our work with movement and networks. This we want to achieve to bring power back to the people,” he said.
Mamedu said organisations must hold government more accountable adding that it is about taking decisions as it affect the people.
“How do we get the Nigerian government to listen to the voices of the people when we have 20 million children out-of-school, so power has to move to the people,” he said. (NAN).
