By Aisha Gambo

Kaduna South Local Government Council has inaugurated seven fellows for the maiden cohort of the RayScale Civic Accountability and Leadership Excellence Fellowship to strengthen youth capacity in governance, public leadership and digital transformation.

In his remarks on the development on Wednesday, the Chairman of the council, Rayyan Hussein congratulated the selection committee for conducting what he described as a transparent and merit-based process that produced the fellows.

Represented by the Speaker of the council legislative arm, Joshua Kajang, the Chairman urged the inaugural fellows to see their selection as a call to service and leadership rather than merely an achievement.

He said as the pioneer cohort, they had the responsibility of setting a high standard for future beneficiaries through discipline, commitment and a willingness to learn.

He said the fellowship aligned with Gov. Uba Sani’s vision of nurturing a new generation of leaders capable of driving development at the grassroots.

Hussein urged the fellows to maximise the mentorship and learning opportunities provided and become ambassadors of positive change in their communities.

The Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to the Chairman, Hamza Abubakar, said the fellows emerged after a rigorous selection process and urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them.

“They are the first cohort and will set the pace for those who will come after them. We expect them to learn, abide by the rules and make the most of the mentorship opportunities available to them,” he said.

Abubakar said the fellowship would equip participants with practical knowledge of leadership, governance and public policy, while preparing them to serve as ambassadors of the programme and the local government.

He added that eligibility for the programme was restricted to Kaduna South indigenes aged between 18 and 30 who were graduates and had completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Also speaking, the Special Assistant on Digital Communications to the Chairman and Co-Lead of the fellowship, Abdullahi Abubakar, said the initiative was conceived to bridge the gap between young people’s interest in governance and their understanding of how government functions.

Abubakar said the six-month fellowship attracted over 190 applications, which were screened down to 25 candidates, before an independent selection committee selected the final seven fellows.

He said the participants would be attached to various departments of the local government to gain practical experience in local governance and digital administration.

According to him, the fellows would also receive mentorship and, after completing the programme, become members of an alumni network through which they would access local and international opportunities while contributing to the development of Kaduna South Local Government.

The Executive Director of Transparency and Accountability Initiative FollowTaxes and Co-Lead of the fellowship, Haliru Ahmad , said the programme was designed to give young people first-hand experience of how local governments operate.

Ahmad said the fellows would be posted to strategic departments, including the Chairman’s Office, revenue, monitoring and evaluation, information and communication technology (ICT), and communications to gain practical knowledge of public administration.

He said the organisers hoped to build a network of young people with a sound understanding of local governance who could eventually assume leadership positions and contribute to policy formulation, budgeting and revenue generation.

According to him, the current cohort focuses solely on the policy component of the fellowship, while future editions will incorporate civic engagement and entrepreneurship tracks through partnerships with civil society organisations and private companies.

He added that the pilot phase was deliberately designed on a small scale to enable the organisers evaluate the programme and improve subsequent editions.

Some of the fellows commended the local government council for creating opportunities for young people to build their leadership capacity and pledged to make good use of the training.

Aliyu Yusuf, a resident of Tudun Ward said the fellowship aligned with his passion for promoting accountability and would equip him with the knowledge to engage constructively with the government and contribute to addressing challenges in his community.

Another fellow, Zakiyya Abdulqadir of Sabon gari said she applied for the fellowship to better understand government processes and acquire knowledge that would enable her to contribute more effectively to community development.

The fellowship is a partnership between Kaduna South Local Government, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (TinT) Follow Taxes and Ray Care Foundation (NAN)