BudgIT: New Hope for Gawu Babangida – 9 years after Zero access to Healthcare

The inadequacy of primary healthcare facilities in Gawu Babangida, Gurara LGA in Niger state, Nigeria has become a pressing issue. In 2019, BudgIt visited Gawu-Babangida and during a meeting with the community members, they lamented the deplorable state of the primary healthcare facility in the community. The clinic was dilapidated; the roof had collapsed, the windows were blown out, and the premise was overgrown with grass – and the community’s efforts to attract the state government’s attention proved futile. Since 2012, community members have been traveling over 60 kilometers to areas like Suleja and Minna to seek basic health services. The absence of medical services in cases of emergencies resulting in the loss of loved ones from childbirth complications, accidents, and general illness.

During the town hall meeting, we discussed civic engagement and advocacy strategies, budgeting processes, and how to participate. Following the conversations, BudgIt supported the community in writing and delivering letters to the relevant authorities, called the government’s attention via the social media handles of the organization, and guided community members who commenced advocacy actions. This triggered a response from the state government, who sent an evaluation team to inspect the site for further action. BudgIt emphasized the need for the community to improve participation in the democratic process, by understanding who represents them and by engaging them on a continuous basis. After relentless advocacy by the community, there was a renewed interest from the government to execute the project.

The rehabilitation and completion of the clinic began in early 2020 and was finally completed and equipped in November 2020. The Niger State Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) undertook this project as a special intervention under the 2019 SDGs program. During a visit to the clinic in October 2023 to assess its impact on the community, we met with Markus Barau Mamman, the officer in charge of the clinic. He said the facility had been upgraded from a Maternal and Child Health Center (MCH) to a Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) and was now a referral centre providing services to patients from other facilities. The completion of this clinic relieved the community by reducing mortality rates during childbirth, providing prompt medical attention, facilitating proper vaccination, and ensuring easy access to medical services for over 5,000 people. This impact has demonstrated the role of citizen participation and inclusion in entrenching a successful democracy. Development cannot be achieved in a democratic governance system if the citizens are excluded or not at the core.

BudgIT continues bridging this gap by simplifying the budget, distributing it to urban and rural communities, and elevating citizens’ voices in governance, policy decisions, and implementation. We are leader in ensuring that citizens fulfill their role in a democracy, which includes holding government accountable for service delivery. Our work in the past 13 years has facilitated the completion of 11,883 projects across education, health, water, electricity, and roads in 3,500+ communities currently serving over 10 million Nigerians.