By Abdullahi Yusuf
The National Leadership of the Open Government Partnership(OGP),has applauded Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State for his sustained support and political will for the group,over the years.
The Civil Society Adviser at the OPG National Secretariat,Abuja,Mr.Uchenna Arisukwuwa, made the commendation in an interview with Journalists in Kano on Thursday.
Arisukwuwa was in Kano to represent the National Secretariat of the OGP, monitor and coordinate the elections into the Kano OGP Standarding Committee and Thematic Working Group Leads.
“OGP survives on political will, political support and political investment.When that is lacking in every State,OGP will die.There are so many States in this country where OGP is dead because there is no political will there.
“So, I want to commend His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for even before assuming office,he had committed himself to the promotion of the OGP and its implementation,and he had kept to his words.
“I went to the Kano Secretariat of the OGP and I was surprised at the kind of support that they have.Even we at the National Secretariat don’t have that kind of support.
“OGP in Kano has official vehicles; we don’t those in Abuja.They even have some level of autonomy and funding.That is what should drive OGP in every State.So, we really want to commend what we have seen in Kano.And we want to use Kano as an example for other states to copy,” he said.
The OGP Civil Society Adviser also commended the conduct of the election, describing it as peaceful, and charged the winners to thrive to do ” the actual work of the OGP.”
“The actual work of the OGP is not about being in a position.It is about delivering the Action Plan for Kano.The Action Plan is the document that contains those governance issues and the solutions you want to profer to them,” he added.
In his remarks, the newly- elected Civil Society Co-chair for Kano State OGP, Abdulrahman Abdu, said his first task is to unite, put together and re-focus Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) that would work with the OGP in the state.
Abdu also said he would work to ensure that the CSOs understand the processes of the OPG, explaining that a lot of the CSOs don’t know much about how the OPG operates.
“OGP is normally a partnership, partnership that comes with commitment from both the Government and the Civil Society,” the Co-chair added.