Politics
Group Tasks Govs-Elect On Open Govt
The Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), an NGO, last Saturday urged the newly elected governors across the country to adopt the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative.
Programme Coordinator of the Centre, Mr Uchenna Arisukwu,made the call in an address to mark the global celebration of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week on Saturday, in Abuja.
Arisukwu said the call had become imperative because since Nigeria joined the OGP process as its 70th member globally, and 12th in Africa, not much had been done to ensure effective implementation.
He said the OGP initiative was launched in 2011 to provide platform for governments to be accountable and responsive to citizens and assist in achieving the desired governance goals.
The coordinator, however, said that so far only 10 states namely, Kaduna, Kano, Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, Niger, Edo, Adamawa and Jigawa, out of 36, had signed up and domesticated OGP in the country.
“Since the country signed into the OGP in 2016, Nigeria has recorded appreciable successes in open budget, open procurement, assets recovery, access to information, citizens’ engagement and open technology.
“The national budget is now accessible online through the citizens’ budget portal, where citizens can engage the budget and also get involved in the entire budgetary cycle.
“The procurement portal established by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) provides citizens the access to engage the procurement process, making it open and transparent.
“In spite of these modest achievements and others not listed here, much is left to be achieved with OGP in Nigeria as we begin the second term of the partnership implementation in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Arisukwu said that the two years of OGP’s National Action Plan, which contained 14 commitments, with four areas of concentration; namely, fiscal transparency, access to information, anti-corruption and citizens’ engagement and empowerment, would be achieved by December.
He urged governments to demonstrate political will to the process, ensure access to information and use of technology to minimise discretion and deepen citizen’s engagement in anti-graft war in order to achieve set targets.
Also speaking, Acting-Executive Director of the Centre, Mr Monday Osasah, urged governments and stakeholders of the OGP to also exercise the political will to fast-track the project implementation in the second phase.
He said that it was imperative for government to make deliberate policy to include OGP in its Federal Executive Council discussion to encourage MDAs to implement the policy objectives.
“Government talking from their end to citizens also will help. Look at what OGP represents, it approximates good governance which happens when government policies and programmes meet the expectations of citizens.
“To achieve that, government requires citizens’ partnership, openness and transparency, it also makes it important for citizens to be part of the documentation of the second National Action Plan,” Osasah said.
He urged states yet to sign up to OGP to do so in order to bring about a holistic fight against corruption in Nigeria.
National Coordinator, Open Alliance, an NGO, Ms Ayomide Faleye, In her remarks at the event, called on stakeholders of OGP to ensure that the second phase of the plan reflected issues that affected citizens.
According to Faleye, the most important step is to ensure that citizens’ engagement is being captured to reflect inclusiveness as the 2019 theme for celebration of the week globally implies.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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