A group, Open Government Partnership (OGP), has urged Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to urgently put in place a mechanism to prevent further erosion, flooding, and waste management hazards in Anambra State.
They also appeal to the governor to implement the state’s OGP-State Action Plan (SAP 1), which was not fully implemented by the previous administration, to enhance effective service delivery to the people.
The group made their position known during a one-day workshop held on Wednesday in Awka, the state capital, where they also finalised and validated the second State Action Plan (SAP 2).
Speaking at the event organised by the State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the focal person of OGP in the state and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Soludo on Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Ogochukwu Orji, who shed more light on the state’s performance in the implementation of OGP SAP 1, attested that Anambra has indeed come a long way.
While noting that the finalisation and validation of SAP 2 were preceded by many activities and technical sessions, she explained that the plan would still pass through some more processes before it becomes a public document.
Citing some more specific instances of the impacts and reflections of SAP 1 in the governance system and different sectors of the state, Orji further expressed optimism that the newly-validated SAP 2 would be more optimally implemented and would also augment and build on the successes of the first SAP, all with the central aim of improving transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, and responsiveness in governance.
She explained that the essence of the brainstorming workshop was to identify other thematic areas, including accountability, inclusiveness, transparency, citizens’ engagement, and technology advancement, and roll them over the objective to SAP 2.
Maintaining that Ndi-Anambra remain the primary beneficiaries of OGP, Mrs. Orji urged the state governments to key into the global platform already signed up to by some countries, including Nigeria.
She noted that OGP opens a state-to-international stage for foreign direct investment and intervention funds.
Orji, however, expressed delight over the commitment so far demonstrated by the current administration in Anambra State towards OGP, saying “it’s a signal that the government is set to change the narrative.”
“Today, we can see the political will on the part of the Anambra State Government to do things differently and right. That’s the primary essence of OGP, so that the citizens will be part of what the government is doing and be able to hold it accountable.”
She further noted that civil society and the media, as critical stakeholders in OGP, have great roles in accessing information about government activities and holding the government accountable for the masses.
“They need to sit down with the government, look at the government agenda, and tie it to the action plans,” she added.
In a remark, the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake, said that the current administration under the watch of Governor Charles Soludo came on board to do things differently, hence its commitment to OGP.
She restated the commitment of the state government towards open, transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance.
“Governor Soludo, who is an advocate of transparency and accountability, will do everything to ensure OGP works in the state,” she said.
The Commissioner was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Chinyere Nwabachili.
Speaking also at the event, the co-chair of OGP in the state, Prince Chris Azor, highlighted some of the successes and testimonies that trailed the implementation of SAP 1 in the state, including the commencement of an open and participatory budget system, e-procurement, the creation of the Disability Rights Commission, and disability laws, as well as improved transparency levels, among others.
While commending the state for this milestone, Azor also added that, despite these, there is still a need for more improvement in some other key areas of urgent intervention, such as “erosion, flooding, and waste management challenges, hence the creation of SAP 2 as a follow-up to SAP 1.
He noted that Anambra State OGP SAP 1 was developed in 2018 to address the under listed challenges and that Anambra was the first state to sign the state action plan in the whole of southern Nigeria.
On her part, the representative of UNICEF, Juliet Chiluwe, who is the Chief of UNICEF Enugu Field Office, congratulated the Anambra State OGP for their milestones so far, especially in the articulation and validation of the SAP 2, while also reassuring the agency’s eagerness to partner and contribute to the implementation of the action plan.
It was also gathered that state and non-state actors, including civil society groups and the media, participated in the workshop.
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