Policy Alert, a non-governmental organisation working to promote economic and ecological justice in Niger Delta, has announced that the US Consul General (Nigeria), Mr. Will Stevens, will attend the first in a series of OpenGov Town Hall today in Asaba, Delta State.
The event is being organised under the auspices of the Niger-Delta Open Observatory (NOGO), supported by USAID Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project implemented by Palladium.
The project is aimed at strengthening the uptake and implementation of Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Niger Delta states.
A statement released yesterday evening by the organisation’s Communications Officer, Nneka Luke-Ndumwere, and made available to The Guardian in Asaba, reads: “The Delta State OpenGov Town Hall will give citizens a firsthand opportunity to ask questions and demand commitments from their governorship candidates on how the latter plan to implement and sustain the OGP in the state as the baton of government changes hands in 2023.”
According to the statement, the high point of the event will be the signing of the Open Government Manifesto by candidates to be witnessed by the US Consul General and a cross section of the electorate. The signing will symbolise their commitment to an open government agenda and their readiness to sustain ongoing governance reforms if elected.
The organisation also announced that plans were on to hold similar events in five states, where the project is being implemented. The states are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Imo and Rivers; during the coming weeks.
NOGO is currently implemented in six states of the Niger Delta region, led by Policy Alert in partnership with Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Secretariat and LITE Africa, among other cluster members.
