The blame game is over: Time for accountability.

That explains probably why my esteemed colleague seemed taken aback. So, to keep the conversation going, I suggested a simple yet effective approach: track the campaign promises of incumbent mayors, Parliamentarians, and Senators, and match them with actual achievements. 

However, I cautioned that this exercise might yield disappointing results, given that many mayors have abandoned their council areas.

How can we trust mayors who do not live and work in their constituencies to initiate projects that benefit their communities? It would be unlikely that they prioritize the needs of their constituents and will focus more on building luxurious offices, homes and acquiring expensive cars.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that councils adopt massive budgets, which often go unexecuted or are awarded to close and inner circle contractors. 

Even when contracts are awarded, controllers struggle to supervise and approve projects due to insecurity and distance. Or you follow my lips. 

To hold politicians accountable, we need to adopt budget tracking journalism and citizen journalism. By doing so, we can expose and bring to book those responsible for unexecuted contracts and projects.

Unfortunately, we seem to have lost sight or sense of what it means to be a true public servant, put otherwise, politician. Today's politicians prioritize their own interests over those of their constituents. They flaunt their wealth, often acquired through questionable means, and rely on powerful connections to maintain their positions. They are no longer accountable to the people. 

We must recognize that true politicians are those who are deeply rooted in their communities and driven by a sense of purpose and development. They are and must be accountable to their constituents. 

They must not be powerful decree driven or made elites who come to replace the village politician who lives, feels and struggle to satisfy the needs and aspirations of his constituents. 

Let us not confuse the elite class with politicians. The former often looks down on their people, caring only about their immediate family and seeking to maintain power through conditional favors.

It's time to hold our politicians accountable. We must elect those who truly represent us, not just civil servants or business people who seek to exploit our votes for personal gains. Budget tracking is a crucial step towards achieving this goal. Journalism comes in here to help and open the eyes of the constituents by creating awareness and fast tracking the activities of politicians. 

As we move forward, let refresh our memory with this simple question: what changes have occurred in our villages and council areas over the past five years? 

Are our politicians truly accountable to us, or are they just interested in accumulating wealth and power? The time for escapism is over; it's time to demand real accountability. We would not run out of this Pandora pot. 

Politicians must now move beyond the blame game and inform the people about their accomplishments as their representatives. It is unbelievable that our representatives live in luxury, flaunting their wealth on social media, yet claim they could not deliver development projects because the central government hindered them. 

This excuse is untenable and unacceptable. The central government has initiatives that benefit our rural communities; we just need the right politicians to access these opportunities. 

The era of blame-shifting is over. It's immoral for politicians to blame the central government for their failure to fulfill promises made to their constituents during campaigns. We must hold them accountable, and our votes are a powerful tool in doing so.

Journalists have a primordial role in this tango. Practice budget tracking journalism in the best interest of the community. This require of us a high level of moral rectitude. 

When we, as journalists, hold our politicians accountable by scrutinizing their actions and decisions, our people can also demand a high level of accountability from us. This ensures that we fulfill our roles as gatekeepers, whistleblowers, and agenda-setters, serving the best interests of our communities. Thanks.

By Nyoh Moses*

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3365 of Friday February 14, 2025