Citizens participation in Government: Stakeholders charge Kogi Govt.to validate OGP’s State Action Plan.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Stallion times, Isiyaku Ahmed, in his opening remarks, said the workshop was designed to build capacity of stakeholders on strategies for effective engagement with government and private sector.
According to Isiyaku Ahmed,” His media organisation has been involved in organising series of seminars and workshops for various groups, especially journalists in the state in the past two years, equipping their skills for them to deliver on their mandate.
He recalled that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, during his governorship campaign in 2023, promised the citizens of the state that if voted into power,his administration would engage them in periodic town hall meetings to know their yearnings, aspirations and challenges and find lasting solution to them.
He said the need to assist the new administration achieve a successful permanent dialogue and citizen participatory democracy in meeting people’s expectations, informed the exercise.
He noted that as ChatGPT 3.5, an Artificial Intelligence, a model language devise, rightly explained, OGP is an international initiative that aims to secure concrete commitment from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance,
“The concept of OGP indicates that Kogi state stands to gain a lot in terms of good governance and citizen participation in governance through operationalisation of OGP if its principle as well as ethos are effectively implemented.
‘The belief in certain quarters,apart from political arena is that,as exemplified in other nations, OGP could be the magic wand people of Kogi state are waiting for to entrench citizen participatory democratic process towards putting the state on the orbit of a realistic social economic and political development.
“I’m optimistic that with OGP functionally in place in Kogi, the state can foster citizen participatory democracy by enhancing transparency, accountability, and engagement.
” Through OGP initiatives, citizens will gain access to government information, participate in decision-making processes, and hold authorities accountable.What more, OGP will foster trust between the government and the people, ultimately leading to more inclusive and responsive governance. In addition,OGP will promote collaboration between government and civil society organizations, allow for joint efforts in addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable development.” He quipped.
He, however, lamented that despite the importance of OGP, in ensuring good governance, the process of actualising the dream of OGP has been foot dragging by the state government.
In a remark, the co convener of OGP in the state, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, commended Stallion Times Media Services and MacArthur Foundation for its untiring efforts in fostering transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance.
According to him “This capacity building session marks a significant milestone in our collective journey towards building open, inclusive, and responsive governance system that truly serve the needs and aspirations of our citizens.
“The establishment of a robust Permanent Dialogue Mechanism is crucial in ensuring that the voices of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, government agencies, and citizens, are heard and integrated into the decision-making processes of the state.t
Meanwhile, Governor Usman Ododo said, he is committed to the ideals of openness in governance and that was why he has led a transparent and accountable government in the last 90 days.
He commended Stallion Times for the partnership to promote dialogue among stakeholders for the development of Kogi.
