Kaduna State Commits To Open Governance Through Youth Inclusiveness

The Kaduna State Government has reiterated the necessity for youth inclusiveness in governance as panacea for transparency and accountability in it’s efforts to deliver dividends of democracy.

The state’s Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed, said this on Sartuday in Kaduna at an engagement to create awareness on youth participation in politics and governance.

The engagement was organised by an NGO, Open Government Youth Innovation Hub, in collaboration with Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn, PERL with support from UKaid.

According to Ahmed, since the launching of Open Government Partnership, OGP strategy by United Nations in 2011, key achievements had been recorded globally in promoting transparency and accountability in governance, while harping on youths involvement in areas of policies and executions.

He noted that key strategic plans had been implemented by the state government in the drive to enhance timely delivery of infrastructure and improve lives of citizens.

“Since 2018 when Kaduna State Government joined the OGP initiative, remarkable feats and progress have been made.

“We have fully implemented our 2021-2023 Action Plan and the second, we are earnestly preparing for the third one which I assure you will give teeth to an overall goal of the essence of open governance and all that it entails.

“The principles shall be continuously adhered to for the good, progress and development of our communities,” he said.

Youths In Governance

The facilitator of the programme, Mr Yusuf Goje, stressed the need for youths to be active in governance.

He said it would go a long way in ensuring a better deal for the general populace.

He said the youth, due to their significant number, should have the leverage of determining the swinging direction of the pendulum in relation to governance.

Goje insisted that the youth, by virtue of their numerical strength, should not be walked over by policy makers, while being optimistic that government of the youth, by the youth and for the youth would strengthen youth innovation and contributions in governance.

He charged the youth to get involved in processes of budget initiation, planning and implementation as an opportunity to change the course of history.

Another facilitator of the OGP, Mubarak AbdulGaniyu, decried passive nature of Nigerian youths in engaging actively with their elected representatives, to ensure delivery of campaign promises.

“This is our motivation of engaging young people from the academia to instill sustainable interest in them to get to decision-making table of policies and governance.

“We have a legal framework in section 14 of the 1999 Constitution which spells out citizens participation in governance and decision-making processes.

“We have participants drawn from Kaduna State University, Kaduna Polytechnic, AFIT, among others because participation in governance is not taught in school which makes our young graduates vulnerable to effects of bad governance within their various communities.

“We want to change the narratives and negative trends of lack of participation by citizens in governance by creating awareness that could be sustained by making young people see the imperative to get involved in policymaking process,” AbdulGaniyu said.

Also, a grassroots governance advocate, Ms Sumayya Abdullahi, added her voice to the call on female gender to leverage on the opportunity provided by civil societies to increase the number of women participation in politics and governance.

She said women could no longer be relegated to the background in the scheme of affairs in the country.

She added that with their significant number, they could decide their future and those of their children.

NAN/Confidence Okwuchi