CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

1. MY CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE
1. What are you trying to achieve?
Introduction
Overall Objectives
1. To increase awareness, improve knowledge and build support for water sector
reforms among key stakeholders.
2. To promote positive water and sanitation management and conservation practices
among all key stakeholders.
The Bauchi State Water and Sanitation planned a three years Sector Reform with
focus on designing, promoting and implementing urban sector reforms that will lead
to improved governance and access to safe, affordable and sustainable water services
in the state. This expected to bring positive changes in terms of transparency,
autonomy, efficiency and effectiveness in the urban water sector; specifically in the
way water and sanitation services are being managed. These changes are expected to
impact positively on the management of water and sanitation services in the state. For
these changes to be successful they must be communicated effectively to the citizen
and stakeholders of Bauchi so that they will demand for improved water service to
improve hygiene, reduce water wastage and pay their water bills promptly.
The key societal Problems to address is for communicating key messages about the
Bauchi State Water and Sanitation Sector Reform, and to identified issues that need to
be addressed to build understanding and generate support for the reforms..
2. Who are the key players?
Influence Stakeholder Stage of Awareness
Allies or Opponents
How can they support?
High
Governor High Give support and political will
Commissioner for Water
Resources High
liaising between the utility
and the state executive
council to ensure consistency
in the buy-in.
Utility staff/ Management High As champion of the reform
Board of Directors High Take issue to the Leadership
Traditional Institution Medium
ensures the interest of the
public is adequately protected
and get public by-in for reform
State Legislators Medium
Responsible for passing the
water law (legal framework).
They could also facilitate
public will support.

2. Labour Leaders/ Unions High
Sensitize staff on the benefits
of the reforms and not to
resist particular on
organizational development
and transition to
corporatization
Federal Ministry of Water
Resources High
Create an entry point for the
reform and ensure sector
coordination and monitoring
State Ministry of Justice High drafting of state water law
Medium
Media Medium
Assist in information
dissemination
NGOs/ CSOs
Medium
Communicate the reform
process message to the public
State Ministry of
Environment Medium
Same as above Provide sector
support for the reform
Low
Informal service providers Low
Can disseminate negative
report on the reform
3. How does it work?
Preferred sources of information on water sector issues
Majority of citizen/stakeholders (95%) preferred radio as source of information on
any issue in Bauchi State. This preference is based on the fact that radio reaches a
wider audience than any other medium, and is easily accessible to most people owing
to low cost of radio set and power required during use.
The preference for radio cut across the different classes of people in the state.
Community radio stations available in Bauchi State can play a significant role in
increasing participation and opinion sharing, improving and diversifying knowledge
on the water and sanitation sector reform, use of town criers, face-to-face meetings,
posters and television. Television, newspapers and magazines are particularly

3. preferred by the educated elite and government officials. How does reform affects
citizen?
CSOs/NGOs and the media as partners
CSOs and NGOs in Bauchi State are in support of the reforms. They however need
to have a better understanding of it. There is need for a proactive outreach
communications efforts aimed at establishing and maintaining dialogue with CSOs
and NGOs. This is very critical to the success of the communications effort
4. What are the risks and opportunities
The issues/challenge are:
1. Consumers do not understand and appreciate the challenges of water services
provision in the state
2. Some consumers still believe that water supply is a social service that they do
not need to pay for. This is derived from their belief that it is government’s
responsibility to provide social services.
3. Consumers believe tariff increase should be gradual and not spontaneous and
structured but not arbitrary
4. Consumers do not pay due to lack of awareness of the benefit of doing so
5. Some consumers are not aware of the economic and health benefits of
services provided by BSWB
6. Workers of BSWB are afraid of the negative implication of the reform on
their jobs
7. Some key stakeholders are not keen on the reform because they are
benefitting from the status quo
8. Some illegal connections are carried out by BSWB staff and plumbers
9. Lack of transparency and accountability in bill distribution and payment for
water services
10.Poor coverage of water and sanitation issues by the media
11.Customers are not aware of the economic issue of connection fees
5. How will you know if it is successful?
Expected outcomes/successes
Objective 1
• Reduced staff concerns about institutional changes and the perceived threat of job
losses.
• Increased levels of awareness of reforms.

4. • Increased quality of knowledge of reforms.
• Decreased misconceptions on key issues in Water Sector Reform.
• Increased accuracy and analytical nature of media coverage of water issue.
• Established and functional public participation mechanisms.
Objective 2
To promote positive water and sanitation management practices
• Increased public interest levels in WSS issues.
• Increased citizen/consumer knowledge about their rights and responsibilities.
• Increased communications capacity within sector institutions as measured by
increased resources and implementation of communication plans.
• Increased consensus building and addressing of stakeholder concerns through public
participation mechanisms.
• Increased knowledge of the link between water and sanitation and wealth creation.
• Increased number of community and civil society initiatives including forums,
citizen/consumer representative bodies and conservation projects.
A monitoring and evaluation (M&E) specialist should be contracted to carry out this
level of impact assessment. The scope of work for the M&E specialist would include:
• Reviewing and finalizing the outcome indicators
• Designing a comprehensive M&E plan and methodology relevant to the outcome
indicators