Open Government Partnership will reinforce governance reforms in Kano state - Buhari’s aide
- President Muhammadu Buhari's fight against corruption in the Nigerian society has been somewhat replicated in Kano state
- The Kano state government had since established the Kano state Anti-corruption and Public Complaints Commission
- The Open Government Partnership (OGP) recently paid a visit to the state to open doors of partnership between both agencies
The special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on justice sector reforms and the national coordinator of OGP, Barrister Juliet Ibekaku- Nwagwu has praised the efforts of Kano state government in pursuing policies and programs aimed at improving governance in the state.
She stated this in a statement delivered on her behalf by Dr. Haruna Abdullahi at the inception visit of the OGP national secretariat to the state on Friday, September 8.
Legit.ng gathered that the OGP team which was hosted at the Kano state Anti-corruption and Public Complaints Commission expressed the willingness and availability of its national secretariat to support the preparation of the state government towards a formal launch of OGP in the state.
Already, the state government has formally committed to implementing the OGP reforms in the state.
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In a recent letter addressed to the co-chair of Open Government Partnership in Nigeria and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, committed to implementing open contracting, open budgeting, tax transparency, improved ease of doing business, anti-corruption among others.
Dr. Abdulahi who is also the sub-national adviser to the OGP Secretariat on behalf of the Mrs Ibekaku-Nwagwu, expressed optimism at the prospects of open government reforms in Kano state.
He praised the level of infrastructure development in the state and attributed it to benefits accruing from the anti-corruption stance of government. He expressed optimism that OGP implementation will only complement the efforts that the state government has been making already.
His words: “I have heard many things about the efforts of this government. The establishment of a state level Anti-Corruption Commission is an important mechanism to curb waste by blocking conduits from where public funds leak.
“I was in Kano a few years ago. As I arrived today, I saw a lot of infrastructural improvement which is a testimony of what happens when public resources are judiciously and efficiently utilized. That is part of what OGP is about”
Another member of the delegation Mr. Uche Igwe, commended the focal point of OGP implementation in the state and hailed the executive chairman of the commission, Alhaji Magaji Muhuyi Rimingado for his courage, tenacity and professionalism.
“I am impressed with the level of work your commission is doing. The story of your courage and how you have fearlessly chased corruption into the most difficult places, is public knowledge. Please keep it up. I am confident that if you extend that level of commitment to OGP implementation then one will expect results in improved service delivery in the state”, Igwe stated.
In his response, Mr. Rimingado thanked the delegation for their visit and assured them that he will use his office to support the governor, to ensure that government activities are open and that citizens understand how they are being governed.
Meanwhile, the federal government has kick-started plans to establish a public beneficial ownership register.
In a meeting held on Wednesday, September 6 in Abuja, key agencies of the government fine-tuned strategies for the implementation of the policy.
The meeting which was held under the auspices of the OGP had in attendance the representatives of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Ministry of Justice, Civil Society Organisations amongst others.
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Watch the Legit.ng TV documentary on how Governor Abdullahi Ganduje is transforming Kano state:
Source: Legit.ng