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STAND - Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in the Niger Delta

The STAND program goes beyond just awareness raising and focuses on improving the capacity of community and civil society actors to advocate and lobby at a local and state government level.

Strengthening links between community and local government

The STAND program beleives that the civilian government in Nigeria has resources at its disposal to make significant contributions to the reduction of poverty but that these resources are not being spent where they should be.

>> Watch this video overview of the STAND Project

STAND (Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in the Niger Delta) is a civil society initiative aimed at improving governance in Nigeria, with a focus on local government in the Niger Delta region. It seeks to contribute to poverty reduction and improvements in the quality of life of communities by addressing the chronic levels of underdevelopment, a root causes of the conflict in the region.

Why STAND is so desperately needed

The Federal Government of Nigeria has made important but limited strides towards becoming more transparent and accountable in management of public finance. It has however failed to check rampant corruption especially at the state and local government levels with dire consequences for communities.

The people of the Niger Delta have no way of holding their local government officials accountable for their actions. Basic information about the finances at the local council level is a closely guarded secret.

STAND beleives there is a large gap between the governments rhetorical position and its policy implementation at local, state and federal levels. This leads to the alienation of communities and the undermining of the state institutions themselves.

What STAND does

• The STAND program goes beyond just awareness raising and focuses on improving the capacity of community and civil society actors to advocate and lobby at a local and state government level.

• STAND empowers and trains local communities to directly approach local and state government to fullfil their duty and address their core development needs.

• The STAND program also recognises an urgent need for civil society actors to support communities in order to strengthen and amplify their voices.

• STAND ensures that the local population is aware of the budgetary resources that should be used to improve their lives.

• The project offers communities the various advocacy skills and tools they need to challenge the status quo.

The STAND centres

The STAND project is built around six VSAT community internet resource centres in three Niger Delta states (Ogbia and Elebele in Bayelsa state; Oporoza and Ogborodo in Delta state; and Bodo and Kpite in Rivers state). The centres serve as platforms for the monitoring of Local Governments and for advocacy action.

The STAND network is however much broader and includes a total of 20 communities working towards strengthening transparency and accountability and reducing poverty.

SDN is implementing STAND with three partner NGOs: CEHRD (Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development); NIDPRODEV (Niger Delta Professionals for Development) and PNI (Pro Natura International).

The STAND centres are run by community management committees with the support of SDN and the hope is that once they can become entirely locally run and administered without outside help.

Since taking on the STAND centres last year SDN has been:

• Enhancing the capacity of the management committees to manage the centres in an independent and creative way

• Making the centres meet the needs of the communities and become an integral part of community life

• Sensitising the communities on the benefits of the centres

State partners have already been on visits to the centres and are already in regular contact with the management committees.

>> Watch the slideshow of the Elebele STAND centre