By Nkechi Eze
Civil society stakeholders have called on the Federal Government, state governments and citizens to strengthen commitments toward transparency, accountability and inclusive governance as activities marking the 2026 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week came to an end on Friday.
According to an official signed statement by the Director, IRIAD-The Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, the week-long commemoration of OpenGovWeek 2026, which began on Monday, May 18, was held under the theme, “Reflect, Rethink, and Redouble Collective Efforts.”
The statement noted that the event also marked 15 years of the global Open Government Partnership initiative and 10 years of Nigeria’s participation in promoting transparency, accountability, inclusion and citizen participation in governance.
Princess Hamman-Obels stated that stakeholders across Nigeria organized a series of activities during the week, including press conferences, awareness walks, podcasts, social media advocacy campaigns and virtual policy dialogues aimed at deepening public understanding of open governance and Nigeria’s commitments under the OGP framework.
She highlighted several achievements recorded at the national level, including the launch of the Citizens’ Delivery Tracker, a digital platform designed to enable citizens monitor the performance of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, track projects and provide real-time feedback.
Other milestones listed include the establishment of the Beneficial Ownership Register for corporate entities, the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal, implementation of the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability initiative, improved compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, deployment of a Permanent Dialogue Mechanism and participatory budgeting processes.
The statement explained that the reforms were aimed at enhancing citizen engagement and improving trust between government institutions and civil society organisations.
At the subnational level, the statement revealed that 28 states, four Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory and one local government area each in Anambra and Kaduna States had joined the OGP Subnational Initiative.
However, it expressed concern that eight states Borno, Kwara, Benue, Ogun, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom were yet to join the initiative, while only six of the country’s 774 local government areas had signed up under the framework.
“As Open Government Week 2026 concludes today, we emphasize that this is not the end of the conversation, but a call to action. The momentum built during this week must translate into sustained reforms, including signing and implementation of the latest National Action Plan (NAP IV) and other practical actions,” the statement said.
The group called on the Federal Government to immediately sign and implement the OGP National Action Plan IV, backed by adequate funding and stronger political will across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
It also urged the eight states yet to join the initiative to do so without delay, while encouraging states already participating to develop and implement State Action Plans capable of delivering tangible benefits to citizens.
Civil society organisations were urged to sustain advocacy efforts and continue holding government accountable, while citizens were encouraged to remain actively engaged in governance processes by demanding transparency and making use of feedback platforms such as the Citizens’ Delivery Portal.
The statement stressed that open governance must go beyond rhetoric and translate into practical democratic reforms that benefit all Nigerians, regardless of location or status.
