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Imagine if all our teachers, government officials and our parents have been accountable to the generations that are presently known as "Area boys" (social miscreants), would we currently be facing the threats created by their existence? No, if the miscreants themselves have been accountable to their development.
Accountability extends democracy and creates checks and balances that ensure that less powerful can challenge and re-shape the decision and choices that affect our lives. Accountability is an important step in advancing the larger human project of creating more democratic, equitable and just societies.
A crucial point I will mention in my closing is that of our ability to pay attention to hold someone to account when our roads are bad, when our hospitals are in bad conditions or when our security agents are not as effective as they ought to but, we pay no attention to recognize those who are responsible for a service behave accountably. That in essence is tantamount to taking for granted accountable use of power.
This is a crucial point because in order to promote good accountability, we need to take a positive view, not a negative one. We need to study and learn pro-actively from both failure and success. Enhancing our accountability enables us to be the change we want to see in our society.
If we live accountably as citizens, our government will leverage on it and will build on it to increase the accountability of our public systems- economic, social, political, and cultural.
Let's liberate ourselves today by being accountable in our everyday activity in order to see our system work. Rome was not built in a day, but it was built and the people made it possible. Accountability was a key factor in the success story. It was the pivot of their development.
A word is enough for a wise one to absorb to enable him become whole.
Olukayode Ajayi-Smith
Reference:
Answer for ourselves: Accountability for citizen organization by David Bonbright with Srilatha Batliwala
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Olukayode Ajayi-Smith is an alumnus of the prestigious LEAP Africa Youth Leadership programme. A graduate of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, he read Computer Science with Economics. Kayode is a core Humanitarian. Whilst a student, he was Editor-in-Chief of an inter-campus magazine entitled Campus-Icon Magazine for three years.
He also helped in championing the first ever Students’ Union Magazine at the Olabisi Onabanjo University where he served as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief. He was the only Nigerian youth delegate to the first ever Civicus youth assembly in Glasgow, Scotland, May 2007.
Kayode has also contributed to the work of various civil societies through his volunteering work. He was a volunteer at LEAP Africa (Lekki, Lagos), African Youth for Transparency (Ikeja, Lagos), Oxfam Charity Shop (Slough, London) and was an intern at the National Assembly as a researcher with the Women’s Right to Education Programme, Abuja. He also had a stint with Transparency and Anti-Corruption Campaign in Africa. This is a Non-Governmental-Organisation based in Abuja. Kayode served as the Head of Logistics and Operation on the Faith in Nigeria project.
Kayode specialises in developing youth development programmes and assisting civil society organisations with logistics and planning of programmes. His ‘Youth Volunteer Card Scheme’ recently received endorsement from UNESCO Nigerian office in Abuja and is currently being explored by the African Citizens Development Foundation for execution. He is currently putting finishing touches to his book titled “MDG Success: Our Role as Young People”. The book is expected to be a guide to youth participation in the success of the Millennium Development Goals.
Kayode is currently a member of the Editorial team at Development Report Magazine, an online magazine. He is also assisting the Nigerian Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organization to realise its goal of kick-starting the activities of the body fully in Nigeria. ‘Kayode is looking forward to a successful career with the United Nations; a dream he has been nursing for a very long time.
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