The political squabble over the distribution of relief packages to struggling Nigerians during the COVID-19 lockdown exposes the crisis of trust in Nigerian politics, a digital democracy campaigner, Yinka Popoola, has observed.
He spoke against the backdrop of the controversy over the distribution of palliatives especially the conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme.
Daily Trust reports that a number of high profile Nigerian politicians including the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan had criticized the handling of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) funds.
Lawan had said, “I believe that we face one critical challenge today in our fight against COVID-19. We have donations made by various organisations, corporate bodies and so on but it is my candid opinion that there is no coordination.”
However, Popoola, who is the creator of ‘Rate Your Leader’ app believes the controversy is a reflection of the crisis of trust in Nigerian politics.
The app is designed to help politicians engage directly with voters and build relationships of trust with the electorate, as well as transmitting important information to them.
The app also allows votes to identify and contact their representatives at the touch of a button, direct from their phones or tablets – and rate them for their responsiveness.
Joel said there was need to build trust between the leaders and the led to avoid controversies such as the one generated by the COVID-19 relief support.
He said, “How can Nigerians trust their politicians when Nigerian politicians don’t trust each other?
“Lawmakers find themselves in an unprecedented situation. Of course, there are going to be delays getting help to people that need it most as our government scrambles to create new and complex social programmes overnight.
“On the other hand, legitimate scrutiny of their performance and the final destination of this money should not be seen as being motivated only by personal greed.
“Rate Your Leader was created to develop relationships of trust between the electorate and elected, but in a time of national crisis our lawmakers need to set a much better example by working together in national interest.
“Our politics needs more trust, and at Rate Your Leader, our aim is helping that trust to take root and grow”.
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