NBarely six months to the 2019 national referendums on the amendment of Article 55 of the 1992 constitution, the Northern Regional director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul Razak Saani has revealed that the region is yet to receive funds and logistics from Accra to carry out public education and sensitization on the process.
Following the President’s decision to have Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives elected to allow for a multi-party based district level elections as well as the elections of MMDCEs and membership of MMDAs and sub-district structures there has been some sort of campaigns but that has not happened in the Northern Region.
The Electoral Commission has set December 10, 2019 as the day for a national referendum to reach a consensus as to whether or not political parties must be allowed to participate in district level elections.
Addressing participants at a capacity building program organized by NORSAAC with support from IDEG to explain the amendment of Article 55 of the 1992 to CSO and other relevant stakeholders, the NR NCCE Boss called on the government to release the needed funds for the activities of the commission timeously.
According to him, the unavailability of funds and logistics to the commission at the regional level is preventing them from educating the public on the coming national exercise.
He added that a timely release of funds to the commission will go a long way to empower the commission to explain to the public the issues at stake for a better understanding of the process and the need for the referendum.
He further stated that, when funds are released late, the commission will not be able to perform its task well as expected.
“We do shoddy work when funds are released late. We are unable to reach the public, especially those in very remote areas,” he said.
Alhaji Saani indicated that, civic education is a shared responsibility and the commission is ready to collaborate with institutions to carry out its duties effectively.
He stressed the importance of public education and said if anything untoward happens during the exercise, it will dent the image of the country’s democracy.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale