Expert tasks Kaduna Accountability Mechanisms to Rethink New Strategies

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna 

A policy and governance expert has tasked accountability mechanisms in Kaduna State to rethink their strategies in their advocacy campaigns in strengthening development in the State.

According to him, the success of their campaigns depends not just on facts and figures, but on understanding the raw dynamics of power, relationships, and political timing.

In his presentation on “Understanding Kaduna’s Advocacy Environment: The Political Economy of Advocacy,” the expert Adejor Abel noted that “Advocacy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It lives and dies in political reality.”

The session was part of an intensive knowledge exchange focused on decoding Kaduna’s political and governance space. 

The ongoing four-day capacity strengthening workshop focused on budget performance analysis, monitoring, tracking, and evidence-based advocacy for members of the Kaduna Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM), Maternal Accountability Mechanism Initiative in Kaduna (KADMAM), the Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KADLGAM) and the Open Government Partnership.

The workshop was organized by the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria and the UK-Nigeria Partnership for a Healthier Future (Lafiya Programme).

He urged the participants to adopt Political Economy Analysis (PEA) as a key tool in their work, using it to map out who holds real power, what motivates them, and how change can actually be achieved even when the odds seem stacked.

“You can have the best evidence, but if it threatens someone’s interest, it will never see the light of day,” Abel warned.

He highlighted that access to decision-makers is not equal, and that influence often lies in unexpected places, from informal advisers to political brokers. Understanding these networks, he said, is essential for any meaningful progress.

Another crucial insight Adejor, mentioned was timing, which he said is everything.

The session underscored the need for more targeted, realistic, and politically smart advocacy strategies, especially in a state like Kaduna where reform efforts often collide with entrenched interests.