Stakeholders at a one-day round table discussion has advocated for the introduction of Townhall meetings with community members on a quarterly basis in Kogi state to enable the people feel the presence good governance at the grassroots level.
Stakeholders present at the meeting also agreed that the Ministry of Finance budget and Economic Planning, and the Ministry of Information and Communications and other relevant MDAs should coordinate the process, noting that this would make a meaningful impact on the people of Kogi State.
This was part of the Communique issued at the end of a round table discussion on good governance organized by Stallion Times Media Services held in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The communique which was jointly signed by Isiyaku Ahmed, Project Coordinator, G-DRIP, Stallion Times,
Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, Chairperson, KONGONET and Co-Chair, NSA, OGP Kogi State and
Hamza Aliyu, Interim Chairman, Kogi Accountability Platform (KAP), said Government should expand services in water, roads, electricity and agricultural input provision to citizens, saying that these should be given priority in the Budget formulation and implementation based on quality data.
The communique added that Citizens and Civil Society Organizations must continue to engage consistently and strategically with Government and the private sector for effective governance in the state, saying that this can be achieved through effective capacity building and increased orientation.
It stressed that Governments and Citizens, led by Civil Society Organizations in Kogi State, must continue to engage using Permanent Dialogue Mechanisms (PDM) such as the Kogi Accountability Platform (KAP) and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) for improved Accountability and Transparency in Governance.
Participants also said that there is need for improvement in the revenue generation capacity of the State from the current N23.5 Billion, to provide for sustainable service provision and insulation from economic shocks
The group also noted that the Amendment of the Disability Office Law to ensure that only qualified Persons with Disability heads the Office is crucial, saying this would give PWD an enhanced sense of belonging in the affairs that concern them.
The project is in collaboration with the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism under the Collaborative Media Project with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
The event was attended by civil society organizations, Faith based organizations, women groups, persons with disabilities, Kogi State Open Government Partnership (OGP), state actors, and the media.
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104
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