Kogi OGP, stakeholders advocate quarterly townhalleetings of Govt, citizens

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

KOGI state Steering Committee for the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and other stakeholders have called for sustained Government and Citizens engagement in Townhall Meetings using Permanent Dialogue Mechanisms (PDM).

In a communique issued at the end of a Round Table Discussion on Good Governance in Lokoja, the stakeholders said Kogi Accountability Platform (KAP) and the OGP could be used to achieve improved Accountability and Transparency in Governance.

The Round Table Discussion was organized by Stallion Times Media Services in its implemention of a Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project tagged “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP)” in Kano and Kogi states.

This is under the Collaborative Media Project (Collaborating for media independence and government accountability) with support from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

The meeting was aimed at evolving strategies for engaging decision-makers and generating citizens input for budget and service delivery using the established permanent dialogue Mechanism in the state.

In line with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s commitment to the PDM, the Communique demanded that Citizens and Civil Society Organizations must continue to engage consistently and strategically with Government and the private sector for effective governance in the state.

It urged that the Townhall meetings should be organized on a quarterly basis with the Ministries of Finance, Information and Communication and other relevant MDAs coordinating the process and preferably, with the governor in attendance.

The Stakeholders held that Kogi State joined the league of States operating the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative as sign of its commitment to transparency, accountability and participatory focus.

The Communique further inferred that with increased openness and transparency in management of resources, Kogi, like other states, had witnessed increased investment and resource mobilization (increased IGR) from slightly over N6.5 Billion in 2016 to over N23.5 Billion in 2023.

It however urged Kogi Government to expand services in water, roads, electricity and agricultural inputs provision to citizens urging that these should be given priority in Budget formulation and implementation based on quality data.

“There is need for improvement in the revenue generation capacity of the State from the current N23.5 Billion, to provide for sustainable service provision and insulation from economic shocks”, the Communique read.

The Stakeholders regretted that the limited inclusion of Persons With Disability in governance had manifested in the poor implementation of the Disability Office Law which led to the head of the Office being a person without Disability.

The Communique therefore recommended an amendment of the Disability Office Law to ensure that only qualified Persons with Disability head the Office adding that this would give PWDs an enhanced sense of belonging in the affairs that concern them.

The Communique was signed by Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, Co-chair, OGP and Chairman, KONGONET; Isiyaku Ahmed, Project Coordinator, G-DRIP and Chief Executive Officer, Stallion Times as well as Hamza Aliyu,
Interim Chairman, Kogi Accountability Platform (KAP). (Ends)