PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTITUENCY PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the relevance of communication and participation in relation to sustainable constituency project implementation in Edo State, Nigeria. Constituency projects are projects designed and nominated by legislators to extend the dividends of democratic governance to their various individual constituencies in order to enhance development at the grassroots level These projects are usually recommended by the legislature to the executive arm of government in the process of annual budgeting with the supposed noble objective and intention that when they are completed, it would enhance social mobility and economic development amongst the citizens of the country. Be that as it may, there are contending and challenging issues around the annual budget tracking and comprehensive information about the implementation status of constituency projects where such projects have made little or no impact on the communities where they are sited over the years. This study is of the assumption that with effective communication and the active participation of the intended beneficiaries in the constituency project cycle, there would be likelihood of transparency, accountability, sense of ownership and, thus guarantees project sustainability. Participatory Communication Theory and the Communicative Planning Theory were adopted to buttress the need for the use of participatory communication strategy for sustainable constituency project implementation in the state. Consequently, the method of participatory communication involving questionnaire, and interviews were used to investigate previous constituency projects implementation in Edo State. From the findings of this study, it has been observed over time that despite the humongous amount allocated for these projects across the three (3) Senatorial Districts of the state; it has been woeful tales of substandard, abandoned and over invoiced projects. In conclusion, the study reaffirmed participatory communication strategy as a panacea for sustainable constituency projects in the state. Among other things, the study recommends therefore, that there should be underlying policies, legislative and institutional frameworks that should provide not only a pragmatic, but also scientific criteria and parameters for determining the why, how, and where of constituency projects in Edo State, Nigeria