An appeal has been made by stakeholders for the Kogi State Government to key into the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as a way of making governance system transparent, participatory and accountable.
Mr. Monday Osasah
Executive Director,
African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), alongside other stakeholders maintained that Open Government Partnership allows for governance to truly serve and empower Citizens.
The One-day stakeholders meeting ON THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP) IN KOGI STATE was ORGANISED BY CONSCIENCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS & CONFLICT RESOLUTION (CHRCR), is a partnership that enable governance system all over the world to be transparent.
The meeting drew participants from the Civil Society Organizations, Media, Relevant Stakeholders from Government Ministry of Finance Budget and Economic Planning, came to a convergence of opinion that the state towards making governance system inclusive and transparent needs to sign up to OGP.
OGP According to the Executive Director LSD disclosed that if institutionalized in Kogi State would help in evolving an effective and result oriented Strategy that will bring Kogi State into the fold of Open Government Partnership (OGP) States in Nigeria.
He described OGP as a global coalition of reformers from Government and Civil Society -working to make governance systems all over the world transparent, participatory and accountable to truly serve and empower Citizens urged the Kogi State Government to cease the benefit by signing into the Initiatives.
Speaking further, the Executive Director said, ” At present, 15 States in Nigeria have signed up and domesticated the OGP with Centre LSD involved in the process in majority of the States.
” Our experience has also shown that some of the major reasons why some States have not warmed up on to coming on board is a lack of proper understanding of the workings of the OGP.
The Executive Director listed mistrust, misconception and sometimes irrational resistance from the Government operatives who should otherwise champion and be in the forefront of mobilizing Strategic support for the initiative as factors militating against some states sign up to the OGP, urged the Kogi State Government to key into the Initiatives.
The Executive Director tasked the stakeholders at the meeting to effectively craft a pathway that will galvanize, moderate directions, guide actions, map and mobilize all the various actors and stakeholders that needs to come together to move the OGP process forward in the State.
Towards making the State see reasons why it should key into the OGP, the Executive Director Urged stakeholders to look at the objective(s), the Means, Moves and peculiarity of the prevailing Environmental forces impacting towards achieving the desired results.
The Executive Director Center LSD Commended the doggedness and commitment of the convener of the meeting, Mr. Idris Abdul, Executive Director of Conscience for Human Rights & Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), whose synergistic relationship and partnership with Centre LSD he explained is one of mutual fulfillment and convergence of interests and aspirations.
In an opening remarks, Comr Idris Abdul Miliki, Executive Director of Conscience for Human Rights & Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), and Convener of the meeting, said all over the world Open Government Partnership is becoming the order of the day, maintained that kogi State cannot be left behind in ensuring transparency, participation and transparency in governance.