Edo signs open governance agreement, eyes $500m benefit

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro Benin

Edo State government on Thursday signed accord on Open Governance partnership (OGP).
The initiative will promote transparency and accountability in governance and tasked other states that have not signed into the OGP to do so noting that its benefits are enormous.
Deputy Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic (ANEEJ), Leo Atakpo, on Thursday, said Edo State stands to benefit $500m for the commitment
He disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting with Civil society organizations on Thursday in Benin City.
Leo, said some states like Anambra, Kano, Niger, Kaduna and Ebonyi, have signed into it irrespective of party affiliations because they needed development.
On his part, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, said the Edo State government has also joined the leagues of states that is signing into OGP.
He commended the State government for being the first to have signed into five out of its fourteen goals from the South-South region.
While admonishing the civil society organizations in the state for making government more responsive to the electorate, he said the era of antagonize government was over and that it has not yielded the needed results.
He said the Civil society must learn to find a common ground where they and the government can reach a common ground for the good of all.
“Protest cannot give us the best result but there must be a way to come closer to the government and have things done for the greater good of all”, he said.
He called on the civil society organizations to shun all forms of divisibility and learn to trust and encourage one another if they must be able to hold government accountable to the people.