No fewer than 10 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have commended the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for operating an Open Government Partnership (OGP) with members of the public.
They gave the commendation at a virtual meeting organized on Monday to draw up a one-year Action plan towards fulfilling the OGP mandate in AMAC.
The National Daily reports that the CSOs include Dean Initiative, ActionAid, Centre LSD, Connected Development, MacArthur Foundation, SERAP, and Foundation for Family Values, among others.
Mrs. Abiodun Essiet, Special Adviser on ICT, Civil Societies and Donor Agencies to the Chairman, AMAC, said that the initiative was to encourage transparency and accountability in governance.
She added that the Abdullahi Candido-led administration of AMAC also created social media platforms to reach out to and get feedback from members of the public on government policies.
Essiet added that a needs assessment was also conducted in various communities within the area council before the budget of a new fiscal year was done.
She added that all these were to promote government accountability and partnership at the grassroots level.
Mr. Semiye Michael, Founder, Dean Initiative, added that AMAC had become an example to other Local Government Areas in terms of its willingness to be open especially with respect to the budget.
He commended the area council for providing opportunities to civil society organizations and citizens to have access to the council at all times.
Mr. Oladayo Olaide, a representative of the MacArthur Foundation, also commended the council for exhibiting true leadership by promoting transparency in governance.
Abuja Municipal Area council became a member of Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2020, as the first Local Government in Nigeria to become a member of OGP Local.
The OGP Local program is aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and inclusion to better meet the needs of the citizens they serve.