The National Secretariat of the Open Government Partnership, OGP, has commended Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for his commitment to transparency, accountability and citizens’ participation in governance.
The commendation came following the election of civil society representatives into the Kano State OGP Steering Committee and Thematic Working Groups held in Kano.
Speaking after monitoring the exercise, the Civil Society Adviser to the OGP National Secretariat, Uchenna Arisukwu, described the election as peaceful, transparent and participatory.
He said the exercise complied with OGP principles of inclusion, accountability and citizens’ participation, noting that the emergence of credible civil society representatives through a democratic process would strengthen the implementation of the initiative in Kano.
Arisukwu explained that the OGP operates through three major structures—the Steering Committee, Thematic Working Groups and the Secretariat—at both national and sub-national levels.
According to him, Kano has become one of the leading OGP states in Nigeria due to the political will demonstrated by the Yusuf administration.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Government reaffirmed its commitment to open, transparent and inclusive governance through the revitalisation of the OGP in the state.
The State Coordinator of OGP and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Open Government and Accountability Policies, Musaddiq Adam, said the successful conduct of the election reflected Governor Yusuf’s determination to deepen accountability and citizen participation.
“What you are witnessing today is one of the outcomes of His Excellency’s efforts to ensure accountability, transparency and inclusiveness in governance,” Adam said.
He disclosed that civil society organisations across Kano participated in electing members of the State Steering Committee and thematic leads who would work alongside government representatives to implement the state’s OGP agenda.
According to him, Governor Yusuf had earlier appointed five commissioners, four permanent secretaries and a director to represent the government in the state OGP structure.
Adam said both government and civil society representatives would jointly implement reforms in access to information, access to justice, anti-corruption, public service delivery, climate change and citizens’ engagement.
He added that the service delivery reforms would focus on agriculture, water supply, education and healthcare, while the anti-corruption component would complement the activities of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The OGP coordinator further revealed that Governor Yusuf had approved the Kano State OGP State Action Plan to guide the implementation of the partnership’s commitments.
He noted that the creation of the Kano State Ministry of Public Procurement was one of the major reforms linked to the OGP initiative, with the Commissioner for Public Procurement serving as the government’s Co-Chair.
Adam also disclosed that Kano had climbed from 11th to fourth position in the national OGP ranking since the current administration assumed responsibility for the initiative in December.
The newly elected Civil Society Co-Chair of the Kano State OGP, Abdulrahman Abdul, pledged to prioritise awareness creation and capacity building, saying many civil society organisations still have limited knowledge of the Open Government Partnership and its objectives.
