Kaduna Citizens embrace Open Government

Participants listening keenly during the engagement

Transparent and citizen-based democracy have been identified as a vital catalyst to good governance in Nigeria.

Dropping the hint while speaking at a one day capacity building programme for Open Government Partnership(OGP) Kaduna, State Team Leader, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn(PERL-ECP), Mr Abel Adejo, disclosed that OGP is operating in no fewer than 75 countries in the world.

" Kaduna is the only state in Nigeria operating OGP; the one of the very few sub-nationals in Africa. In Africa Nigeria and Kaduna state were second to be registered in Africa", Adejo volunteered, tracing the origin of OGP in Africa to 2014 when Kenya and Tanzania keyed into the programme. While stressing that "transparency and accountability" remain the watchwords of open government partnership, Adejo informed that the initiative was not an abstract thing but essentially designed to benefit the people.

Also speaking, Seun Onigbinde of BudgIT reiterated that accountability leads to efficiency and best practices which in turn accommodates good governance. "I belong to the 'social contract theory' school which gives back to the people", Onigbinde said, pointing out that the Civil Society should sustain the on-going dialogue mechanism because abandoning it would be unwise.

It was resolved at the meeting that Independent monitoring and documentation at every stage of implementation of the commitment should hold sway.

Nigeria our Correspondent gathered, joined as the 70th country in the world. The one day capacity building program which was organized at the instance of the organized civil society in Kaduna attracted over 120 participants drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state.

Comments

Coalition urges COP-27 to fast track advocacy against Climate Change

Participants in a group photograph after the event in Kaduna By EDDY OCHIGBO, A coalition of environmental organizations in Kaduna, under the aegis Extinction Rebellion (XR) - a global movement which seeks to persuade governments to act justly on climate change and ecological emergency - has hosted a pre-COP27, in partnership with Bridge-that-Gap Initiative, to galvanize the campaign against climate change, as the the 27th Conference of Parties slated for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt kicks off. In an exclusive interview with NATIONAL ACCORD, one the coordinators of the event in Kaduna metropolis, Mr Zinta Akpoko, revealed that COP27, Egypt could become a turning point of the campaign, given that forerunners of the conference have since pledged to relentlessly push to prioritize climate financing for developing nations. "The effect of climate change is very evident and we need to be very frank by telling the truth about the inherent dangers tha...

TRIBUTE: Dr Bala Takaya 1930 - 2018

Bala John Takaya (2nd Left) at a function recently By Nasiru Jagaba Again, with rude shock, death has come upon us in the early hours of Sunday, 27th May, 2018. It is with deepest regret that the Middle Belt Youth Wing of Middle Belt Forum mourns the death of our President, Father, Mentor, and a tireless advocate of equity, fairness and justice, Dr Bala John Takaya, the President of Middle Belt Forum has silently closed the door of life and departed from us, never to return. 68 years old Takaya, an unparalleled University Senior Lecturer, a distinct politician who served as the Secretary to State Government of the old Gongola State, a member of the 1987 Political Bureau. On the fight to restore democratic system of governance, he worked hand in hand with Chief Solomon Lar. Also, in 1999 he was the governorship candidate of the All People’s Party, APP later ANPP. He is much esteemed in the community of Middle Belt and generally recognized as on...

N81.68bn Supplementary Budget: Matters Arising!

By YUSUF GOJE R egardless of the good intention - anything for us, without us, cannot be for us. I have been wondering if the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitment one (Open Budget) covers supplementary budgets in Kaduna state.. The proposed supplementary budget of 81.68bn before the Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHoA) is about 51.8% of the total 2019 approved budget of N157.45bn; which when passed will take the budget for the year to about N230bn. This is said to be from the World Bank loan approved for Kaduna state. While I have no personal issue with the loan, because it has a clause that makes it non-discretional (tied to projects) and we are ready as civil society to track its utilization; over the past three years, even with the OGP in place, we have been having supplementary budgets passed without citizen's engagement and inputs, more so, without their initial knowledge. We usually become aware of it just before or after KSHoA passes it into ...

Open Budget: Kaduna seeks citizens' input in 2020 Budget

F ollowing sustained campaign by concerned citizens and critical stakeholders in Kaduna state to open up the budget cycle, the Governor el-Rufa'i-led administration, during the week, engaged the representatives of the academia, community-based organizations, the civil society, women groups and individuals on state's 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework(MTEF) to make next year's budget budget realistic and realizable. The event tagged 'Citizens Consultations on 2020-2022 MTEF' which was put together by the state's Planning and Budget Commission with the support of DFID-funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), took a critical look at strategies to forge a people-centered budget with emphasis on transparency, openness and accountability. Co-chair of the Open Government Partnership(OGP) in the state, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare told participants that as a sub national, Kaduna state was indeed a trail brazer in nation's quest ...

Environmentalists intensify action against global warming!

A cross section of the Network of Civil Society in Environment being welcome by the commissioner (Centre) I n a bid to cushion the increasing adverse effects of global warming on the environment, non-state actors under the aegis of Network of Civil Society in Environment (NCSE), during the week in Kaduna, sought for a robust partnership with the state's Environment and Natural Resources Ministry to address numerous environmental challenges facing the state. Receiving the group who were on an advocacy visit to the Ministry, the Honourable Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Ibrahim Garba Hussain expressed delight over the renewed move to mitigate environmental degradation and pledged his support for the initiative. "Climate change is all as result of the activity and action of man. It might interest you to know that the Ministry has put together a comprehensive policy document on environment. That is why I am very pleased to welcome you peo...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog