By ISAIAH KUMUYI

On Monday, April 8, 2024, at a public demonstration in Abuja, the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) unveiled the upgraded Citizens Delivery Tracker as a digital tool, placed in the hands of Nigerians to know, monitor, and give feedback on government policies, programmes, and projects. It was an event that lifted my spirit like no other since the immuration of the Bola Tinubu administration last May.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the CDCU, Hadiza Bala Usman, underscored the importance of the tracker to the governance aspiration of the president.

Her words: “You may recall President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise at the cabinet retreat for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries, and top government functionaries held in November 2023, that the federal government will strengthen the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) and ensure that citizens are an integral part of the monitoring and performance management process of the government. I am pleased to inform you that this promise has been delivered as the upgraded Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App, which will enable all citizens to view the deliverables and key performance indicators for all ministries and give their own assessment on the performance of each of the indicators, goes live today.”

She continued: “The import of the preceding points is that the President is keen on leading an inclusive government through the involvement of all Nigerians in the governance process and that the CDCU is central to the actualisation of this presidential aspiration.”

As a citizen who has long been angling for a better quality of state-society relations in Nigeria, news of the tracking application sounded like music to my ears. I consider it a bold move towards leadership accountability, transparency, and citizen empowerment in Nigeria.

The Citizens’ Delivery Tracker Application represents a commitment by the Bola Tinubu Presidency to involve Nigerians in governance. Now, with the CDCU’s latest initiative, Nigerians have a direct say in monitoring and evaluating the performance of government appointees, especially the ministers. In fact, in one of a subsequent appearance on Arise Television, Bala Usman disclosed that the feedback gotten from Nigerians on the tracker application will constitute one of the three planks of the quarterly assessments that will be done for Ministers, the other two being Ministerial Submissions and Subject Matter Expert Assessment.

Readily available at app.cdcu.gov.ng, the tracker provides detailed information on the eight Presidential Priorities and the respective Ministries in charge of driving their associate policies and programmes nationwide. It allows users to submit assessments of ministries, provide feedback, and share observations directly through the app. It also has a backend monitoring functionality that allows the citizens’ feedback directly get to the table of the President. Does that not tell you that It is a new dawn for Nigerians as far as staking a claim in the affairs of our country is concerned.

And I am happy that some Nigerians already see this point. Recent newspaper reports showed that less than 24 hours after the application went live, 1,165 citizen responses came in from Nigerians who expressed their opinions on the different Ministers and their respective performances.

The CDCU, led by Hadiza Bala Usman, deserves commendation. By delivering the upgraded Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App, that Unit has demonstrated commitment to operationalising the values of inclusivity, transparency, and accountability in Nigerian public service. The tracker app is not just about digitizing government processes. It is more than technology. It Is about empowering Nigerians and giving them a say in the running of their country.

However, more Nigerians need to appreciate the fact that, with our votes, we are the ones who have employed President Tinubu and, by extension, his appointees. As employers, it is imperative that we show more than a passing interest in the activities of government. It is in our best interest if our employees deliver to expectations; and that will only happen if we monitor activities closely and give informed feedback promptly. The Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App presents us with that opportunity.

It gives us a credible platform to add our voices to governance inputs and outputs. Just imagine for a second that your feedback lands on the monitoring dashboard of President Tinubu, and that is what triggers the desired change in any sector of the economy like Security or Food and Agriculture. Indeed, change can begin with your suggestion.

I therefore urge my fellow Nigerians to embrace this initiative and join the Federal Government in its efforts to usher in a new era of civic participation. Let us know that as we monitor projects, evaluate performance, and engage with our government, we are contributing to a stronger, more accountable Nigeria. Thanks to the CDCU, Nigerians now have a say – a say that matters.

•Kumuyi is a Corporate Communication practitioner. He writes from the University of Lagos, Akoka.

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