Globally women participation in community development has been generally less than encouraging despite their numerical strength. The importance of gender in community development has been a neglected issue. The situation has grown so worst that it has generated both national and international recognition.

Women are at the center of development nexus, in most communities, women have a pivotal role in economic development and in challenging poverty. They perform many of the agricultural tasks and raise small livestock, provide firewood and water, generate substantial income for the family budget from sale of handicrafts, a variety of grown and wild foods, firewood and other products, and care for their children and homesteads.

To accomplish their tasks, women are, formally or informally, resource managers. They must be fully involved in the decision-making process regarding community development.

There are various barriers to women participation in community development to include cultural practices, low level of women education and poverty.

How can gender contribute to best for development to ensure a better living in the community?

Tell us your thoughts and feelings about gender in community development.

These will serve the bases of our discussion on this edition of village square.

Community advocates are those individuals that have an interest in the development and redevelopment of a community. The local community advocates are resident living in the community and are concerned about the welfare of the community. These individuals are not only concerned, they are active. As a matter of fact, some professionals call them community activist.

They know where the problems areas are and have a good understanding of the improvement activities that are needed.

The most important thing is that it does not matter what is done to advocate for change just as long as people take some actions that helps to achieve the change

How can a community best demand for development to ensure a better living for citizens?

Tell us your thoughts and feelings about community development.

These will serve the bases of our discussion on this edition of village square.

On the last edition of the program, we had an engaging conversation where we identified various community structures that can help strengthen peace and security in communities. This is in view of current security challenges facing many communities. Among structures identified, Communication and local security networks stood out. These structures were said to be the main need of various communities thereby leading to many avoidable acts of crimes. Similarly, callers also identified the need for building the capacity of local residents to better safeguard their communities.

The major purpose of any political authority / Government is to preserve the life and property of the citizenry who granted it the authority by surrendering their natural freedoms. The failings of government in this regard has been alarming with the National security adviser – Bagana Monguno being quoted as saying that alleged sponsors of criminality are working with persons in “critical agencies of agencies of government” to frustrate the efforts to secure the country.

Prevailing conversations have also birthed the demand for state police to better safeguard the security of lives and property across communities. However, this agitation has been downplayed by the government on various grounds. Although, section 214(1) of the 1999 constitution states that “There shall be a Police Force in Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigerian Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other Police Force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.” But the same Constitution guarantees in sections 33 – 35 the right to life, dignity of the human person and personal liberty.

In this vein, what is the role of community members in safeguarding their communities? How can citizens build capacity for this? What is the role of relevant Community stakeholders in safeguarding our communities?

This and many more will form the basis of our discussion with Mr. Obadiah Samuel and Mr. Godwin as guests

Rising insecurity has been a very big challenge across communities especially in the Middle Belt Area of Nigeria. This problem has taken various dimensions ranging from insurgency, Banditry, Kidnapping, armed robbery among other prevalent acts of criminality within the region and country at large. Many communities / Villages have been ransacked and scores have lost their lives and property. Several stakeholders and socio-cultural groups have expressed dissatisfaction at the manner and seriousness with which the government is handling these emerging challenges of insecurity across communities. while others, have also expressed dismay over the country’s security architecture to handle the matter. These conversations have also birthed the demand for state police to better safeguard the security of lives and property across communities. However, this agitation has been downplayed by the government on various grounds. Although, section 214(1) of the 1999 constitution states that “There shall be a Police Force in Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigerian Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other Police Force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.” But the same Constitution guarantees in sections 33 – 35 the right to life, dignity of the human person and personal liberty. What happens when communities remain vulnerable to attacks with little or no support from the those saddled with the responsibility of protecting them? The right to life, dignity of human person and personal liberty are inalienable and every Nigerian citizen or community has a right to do all that is within their powers (without violating the right of other persons or other communities or breaking any law) to protect these rights. What can be done when the failings of Government in this role become persistent? What can residents do to safeguard their communities in the face of rising crimes and criminality? Are there structures in the community that can be leveraged for this purpose? What are these structures? How can these structures be strengthened in the face of continuous provocative attacks? All these will form the basis of our discussion on this edition of building bridges with Mr. Obadiah Samuel and Mr. Godwin as guests.

22nd March, the world water day is celebrated, the world water day celebrates water and raises awareness of the global water crisis, and a core focus of the observance is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The theme of world water day 2021 is valuing water; the value water is about much more than its price, water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource. SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all, without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multi-dimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.

World water day is about what water means to people, its true value and how we can better protect this vital resource.

By celebrating all the different ways water benefits our lives, we can value water properly and safeguard it effectively for everyone.

How can we best value water and safe guard water resource to ensure a better living for citizens?

Tell us your stories, thoughts and feelings about water.

Nigeria has the highest prevalence of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in the world; with between 400,000 and 800,000women living with the problem and about 20,000 new cases occurring annually, 90% of the cases go untreated.

Vesico-vaginal fistula is a direct communication between the bladder and vagina resulting in leakage of urine into the vagina. This is a major gynecological problem in the country. It also occurs when the blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and bladder is restricted during prolonged obstructed labour, the tissues die between these organs, forming holes through which urine can pass uncontrollably.

In most societies of third world, women are often seen as a vulnerable gender group, however, the attendant devastating and humiliating effects of all health for example VVF further makes them more vulnerable in these societies, thus exposing their emotional instability. These women often see themselves as being different from other women in several areas, in spite of the fact that their sexual freedom has already been curtailed, they find it difficult to enjoy their sexuality, other infectious diseases may also arise, and they age more easily and quickly than their contemporaries who have not had their womanhood curtailed.

This disrepairable and demoralizing condition thus destroys the psychological well being of the victims, when someone loses confidence in enjoying a quality life; she often lives a miserable life throughout her life. This condition is typical of a Nigerian who is a victim of VVF

In most Nigerian communities, affected women are ostracized from their local community, divorced, abandoned and remain childless, thereby infringing on their dignity.

How can we best curb this issue to ensure a better living for citizens?

These will serve the bases of our discussion on this edition of village square.

Environmental issues boarders on poor hygiene and poor housing, urban dwellers in some cities of Nigeria are not left out. Most of the streets walk ways have been converted to domestic waste dump sites by the inhabitants of the area on a daily bases. The culture of proper waste disposal among the urban dwellers is far from expectations, even when government and agencies responsible for disposal and management of waste made provisions for waste disposal points, the residents do not adhere to rules and regulations because they are used to the habit of dumping their waste indiscriminately.

Improper waste disposal habits starts from homes, waste are disposed around the living homes, some baggage their waste and allow them to stay for days before disposing off. When waste that is meant to be disposed off immediately after generating, are left undisposed, the tendency for it to get rotten and smell is possible. Rodents are thereby welcomed to feast on the waste, and live around home the environment. When rodents are living around the home environment, they not only feast on waste, but on anything they can easily bite and chew including food stuff which they also defecate on, and in the process transmit causative organism of Lassa fever to human beings who consume the virus infected food.

According to United Nations Human settlement Programme, improper waste disposal results in breeding places for vectors of disease, while poor levels of housing offer easy access to rodent , which is more in urban area, they further emphasis that this result in significant spread of communicable diseases or new syndromes, thus, adding to the local disease burden. However, for safety of human lives in the environment, a rethink on how to properly disposed waste generated in homes and our surrounding generally is inevitable. People need to be educated on proper waste disposal habit and also on how to manage wastes for the prevention of epidemic disease such as Lassa fever, as well as for a safe and healthy environment.

These will serve the bases of our discussion on this edition of village square.