End of Commitment Report – Establishing Citizens Dialogue Mechanisms for improved Accountability and Transparency
- Action Plan: Action plan – Plateau, Nigeria, 2021 – 2023
Overview
Name of Evaluator
David Wuyep
Member Name
Plateau, Nigeria
Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title
Action plan – Plateau, Nigeria, 2021 – 2023
CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action...
Establishing Citizens Dialogue Mechanisms for Improved Accountability and TransparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More
Action
This commitment aims to ensure that all citizens have access to information that increases their agency and ability to engage with the government more effectively on the issues that directly affect them. This commitment leverages the efforts made so far and aims to fill the gaps identified. The overall objectives are to improve citizens’ participation in the creation and implementation of government policies, programs, and projects and to strengthen the use of technology and media in driving feedback mechanisms between government and citizens.
Problem
Effective and qualitative project delivery is hampered by the lack of comprehensive and accessible data or other key information. Insufficient citizen-government feedback mechanisms that ensure inclusivity in government decision-making processes. Dwindling citizens’ trust in government initiatives and programs as citizen engagement mechanisms are typically absent, ineffective, or not far-reaching. Non-availability of citizens’ dialogue mechanisms for accountability and transparency in the creation and implementation of projects, programs, and policies.
Section 1.
Commitment completion
1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?
Limited
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Out of seven milestones, two were achieved while the remaining five are at various levels of implementation.
Provide evidence that supports and justifies your answer:
1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).
The commitment is too bogus. Given time and financial constraints, the milestones are too many, and this negatively impacted the implementation of the commitment.
1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?
Few of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The first milestone (Development and adoption of the State Monitoring & Evaluation Policy) was achieved, and the second milestone (Development of the state Community-driven Development Policy) is ongoing because a draft of the policy has been developed, what is outstanding is a stakeholder validation session and for it to be adopted by the State Exco. The Results Fair which is the third milestone has not been carried out and the fourth milestone as well has not been implemented. The fifth milestone was achieved with various Government Stakeholders appearing on two radio programs: Good Morning Plateau and Connect to Government. While the seventh milestone is also outstanding.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 2.
Did it open government?
2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?
Yes
Degree of result:
Marginal
Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.
The M&E Policy has improved the M&E system in the State and awakened M&E consciousness among Civil Servants, while the interactive media engagements have created more awareness of government activities in the state and provided a platform for citizens to call in and speak to government officials.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/ inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/ or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?
Yes
Degree of result:
Major
Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.
The M&E Policy has improved the M&E system in the State and even resulted in the drafting of the Performance Management Office Law which creates an office to ensure that the M&E practice is sustained in Plateau State while the interactive media engagements have created more awareness of government activities in the state and provided a platform for citizens to call in and speak to government officials. The interactive media engagements also provided an avenue to create awareness and obtain feedback from citizens on government plans, policies, projects, and programs.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?
Yes
Degree of result:
Major
Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.
A slot was obtained for one hour every Thursday morning in the state’s radio station, Plateau Radio Television [PRTV] for an existing radio program titled Good Morning Plateau while another slot was obtained on Friday evenings for a new program titled Connect to Government. This created and improved existing channels for citizens to call in and hold government officials answerable to their actions.
2.1.4 Other Results
Yes
Degree of result:
Marginal
Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.
As part of monitoring and evaluating MDA performances, a league system was instituted where MDAs performances against budgeted revenues were used to rank them in a league. The rankings were used for the award of prizes in a public ceremony where the overall state revenue performance is disclosed to the citizens for assessment and feedback.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The interactive media engagements partly addressed the problem of increasing citizens’ access to information and their ability to engage with government officials on some issues that affect them; which led to some modest level of citizens’ participation in the creation and implementation of government policies, programs, and projects.
The use of media in driving feedback mechanisms between government and citizens was also strengthened by media engagements.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 3.
Lessons from
implementation
3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.
The activities are too many for one commitment and elaborate enough to form individual commitments on their own. This negatively affected the effective implementation of this commitment. Some activities should be taken out for easier implementation.
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