By Hauwa Umar
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Nigeria has admitted Yobe State as a subnational member, marking a major step in the State’s commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive governance.
This was contained in a statement issued by the National Coordinator of OGP Nigeria, Dr Gloria Ahmed, in Abuja on Friday.
She said that the official letter to that effect was signed by the OGP Nigeria State Actors Co-Chair and Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, following Yobe’s earlier expression of interest to deepen open government reforms.
Ahmed said that Yobe State’s admission reinforced its resolve to institutionalise global best practices that promote citizen participation and strengthen public trust.
She also welcomed the State into the partnership and expressed optimism that the new cooperation would further entrench openness and accountability across all levels of government.
Olawande urged the State to uphold OGP’s core principles by establishing a functional and inclusive governance structure.
He said that Yobe was expected to immediately constitute its OGP Steering Committee, which must reflect the partnership’s requirement of equal representation of 50 per cent from government and 50 per cent from civil society and the private sector.
Olawande said that the approach was key to co-creating reforms that are both transparent and sustainable.
The Minister said that the State must also set up a Thematic Working Group (TWG) comprising relevant institutions and individuals who would guide the development of Yobe’s State Action Plan (SAP).
He said that the SAP would outline specific reform commitments aligned with local priorities while adhering to OGP’s global co-creation standards.
Olawande assured the State of full support from the OGP national secretariat in creating the frameworks and processes needed to deliver an ambitious and realistic action plan.
He said that the sustained collaboration would ensure Yobe’s participation leads to long-term governance improvements.
The Minister said that with the inclusion of Yobe, a total of 28 states has now signed up for the OGP in Nigeria, while eight states are yet to join.
