In a bid to promote transparent and accountable public finance management, the Budget Transparency and Accountability Initiative Nigeria (BTAN) is calling on Cross River State Government to expedite its implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP).
BTAN made the call in its policy Brief published under the MoCCSA (Mobilising CSOs and Citizens for Social Accountability) project implemented by Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE) in partnership with Nigeria Situation Room with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), where it taunted the Cross River State government for abandoning it interest in Open Governance. Stating that despite expressing interest in joining the OGP in 2019 under the leadership of Governor Sen. Ben Ayade, progress has stalled, with the State Action Plan (SAP) remaining undeveloped. This delay presents both challenges and opportunities for the state’s commitment to open governance.
According to BTAN, while other proactive states like Kaduna and Bauchi have successfully finalized their SAPs and initiated action plans, Cross River State lags behind. The organization emphasizes the importance of accelerating SAP finalization to enable the state’s active participation in OGP initiatives.
The policy brief also highlights the need for enhanced civic engagement, urging the state to actively involve citizens in decision-making processes and utilize the OGP platform to mobilize public participation in governance.
Recommendations put forward by BTAN include prioritizing capacity building for both state and non-state actors, allocating budgetary provisions for OGP initiatives, and establishing mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of SAP implementation progress. Additionally, the brief suggests addressing communal crises through budgetary provisions for peacebuilding activities, particularly in areas with communal clashes.
BTAN underscored the importance of Cross River State’s participation in the OGP as a pivotal opportunity for advancing social accountability and improving governance. Urgent action is needed to finalize and implement the SAP, increase civic engagement, and adhere to OGP principles to ensure positive outcomes in service delivery and overall development. The state is urged to seize this opportunity to actively contribute to the global movement toward open and accountable governance.
Speaking during the closeout meeting of the projects where 5 policy briefs on different sectors of the society were launched, Comrade Edem Edem, National Coordinator of Green Concern for Development GREENCODE, informed that the project aimed at empowering civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens to actively engage in governance and hold the government accountable. Through advocacy visits and capacity-building initiatives, adding that the project focused on promoting social accountability by equipping CSOs with advocacy skills and tools to facilitate citizen participation in policy discussions and ensure government responsiveness to the needs of grassroots communities.
Edem noted that the project was closing with the launch of the 2023 4th quarter budget performance report, a Citizen’s Budget (a simplified version of the 2024 budget, and five policy briefs Water and Sanitation, Waste Management and Environment, Peace Building and Conflict Management, Fiscal Accountability and Open Government, Forest Degradation and Illegal Mining. Adding that these documents Which will be distributed to relevant stakeholders and the public in general is to both trigger the citizens to hold government accountable and trigger actions from government to solve citizens problems.
These documents according to Edem, can be downloaded from the organisation’s website at www.greencodeng.org
