Youths in Plateau urge to hold govt accountable through OGP

By Kingsley Chukwuka

Youths in Plateau State at the weekend tasked to hold Government accountable through Open Government Partnership (OGP), a Non-governmental (NGO), that help youths in the State to a Town-hall meeting aimed at sensitizing them on effective governance.

The Town-hall was tailored to promote youth understanding and participation through OGP, poised at developing a toolkits that equips youths to promote accountable, responsive and inclusive governance, said the Deputy Country Director, Tearfund Nigeria, Mr Joseph Aloo.

According to him: “The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from national and sub-national governments to promote open government, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

“One of the Central lessons from the ENDSARS riots of 2020 was the critical need to create the enabling space for conversations that supports inclusiveness, participation and constructive engagement of Nigeria’s massive youth population.

“It is heart-warming to note that Jos Green Centre is the first and only youth-led movement who are pioneering the deployment of the OGP Platform in Nigeria to create the space for constructive engagements with youth”, he said.

Aloo, who spoke through his representative at the occasion also said the Jos Youth Town Hall Meeting on OGP is laced with the objective to build the capacity of 250 Youth on Advocacy, Movement building and Open Government Partnership, which would enable them to constructively engage governance and make contributions leading to a transparent, just, peaceful, and politics of inclusiveness.

He also said the objective of the gathering is aimed at supporting 250 youths to develop a Youth-focused toolkit that supports long term constructive youth engagement in Plateau State by July 31st 2022, and to also enable 250 youth campaigns around the OGP, contributing to raising awareness on it and securing buy-ins from Citizens in Plateau as well as reduce violence among young people and contribute to long term peace and security in the State.

On his part, the Chief Technical Advisor, Programme Management and Results Delivery Office, Engr. David Jaafaru Wuyep said Plateau State Government has worked together with various Civil society organizations (CSOs) in the state to develop Plateau State’s first OGP action plan which is underpinned by fiscal transparency, citizens engagement, extractives transparency of gender, peace and security.

He stressed that youths are unique resources that can develop innovative solutions for economic growth and national development as they hold an enormous potential for change and positive action.

“The Open Government Partnership offers a platform for youths to actively engage with government, it is therefore highly necessary for youths to be armed with the skills that will enable them to successfully achieve this”, he said.

Wuyep noted that the group is working on establishing Citizens Dialogue Mechanisms for improved Accountability, Transparency for active participation of youths in the OGP.