Residents of Sangbana, a community in the Chereponi District of the North East Region, have expressed worry about the unstable nature of electricity supply to the area.

They said it was slowing down businesses and other activities that relied on electric power to function.

They added that it was also affecting security in the area, especially during nights when there was a power outage.

They expressed the worry at a social auditing engagement held in the community.

The event, organised by the Chereponi District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), was to enable members of the community to assess and prioritise their needs and to seek solutions from duty-bearers.

The event formed part of the NCCE’s Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), which is supported by the European Union to promote good governance, accountability and transparency in institutions.

Sangbana residents, therefore, appealed to the Chereponi District Assembly to develop plans to seek a lasting solution to the unstable power supply in the community to increase productivity.

Alhaji Mohammed Saani, the Chereponi District Director of the NCCE, during the event, explained the concept of social auditing to the people, saying it was to promote community ownership of development projects and programmes.

Alhaji Saani said it was to empower community members to participate in the local governance process and demand accountability from duty-bearers.

He told the people that it was their right to hold their leaders accountable in their engagements and urged them to be abreast with the activities of the Assembly to enable them to demand accountability from the authorities.

He said, “This would enable you to protect community-owned development projects, reduce corruption, deepen decentralisation process and achieve participatory democracy."

Alhaji Saani reminded the people about the existence of the COVID-19, advising them to continue to adhere to the safety protocols put in place by the government to stop its spread.

Mr Mohammed Akor, the Assembly Member for Sangbana Electoral Area, commended the NCCE and its partners for the engagement, saying it would enable the people to demand their share of development projects in the area.

Following the engagement, a five-member social auditing Committee was inaugurated in the community as part of strategies to engage appropriate stakeholders to ensure that the issue of unstable electricity was resolved in the area.