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It is a vital instrument that works monitoring indicators
directed at democracy at the community and federal levels.
This programme has over the years engage the communities
with issue that have helped transformed our communities
with democratic and traditions. Communities within the
region are now pro – democracy than ever through the
activities of the legislative advocacy programme (LAP).
Such structural and strategic instrumentalities of
communities forums, town hall meetings, public hearings
and listening sessions have on a consistent basis been on
an increasing rate as a result of demand for such by the
rural dwellers who have had the opportunity of working
with the LAP. The instrumentality of seminars, workshop
and roundatables have also been explored by this unit for
maximum effect and tremendous impact in the Niger Delta.
All of this bulwarks have linked this programme with the
local and state government authorities in most states of
the Niger Delta. The legislature within the region is
built in this programme as a vital stake holder even
through the challenge basseting the unit is the refusal of
the legislatures to liaise with the laudable achievement
of the unit.
The economic and social cultural and environmental
programme of the IHRHL is unique and structured to
advocate on the economic needs of the rural poor. The
issue of “poverty in the midst of plenty” has been the
thrust of this programme coupled with the general trend of
corruption, environmental abuse and cultural degradation.
This programme has successfully delineated the economic
needs of the rural poor from the general umbrella of human
rights. It is a structure strengthened by the need to
workout means of sanitizing the polluted economic space
within the Niger Delta. To this end participatory
monitoring structures have been evolved in line with the
publish what you pay (PWYP) campaign and the National
extractive industry transparency Initiative (NEITI) data
collection about budgets, projects and accounts of various
agencies in states of the Niger delta has been a process
used by this programme unit to enrich the capacities of
local communities become directly involved in monitoring
projects located within their communities. The units
activities were also extended to building areas of
cooperation with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The unit has always been at fore of advocacy that gas
flare and other environmental abuses must stop.
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