…as stakeholders brainstorm NAP IV to boost transparency and reform
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria has leaped remarkably in the Open Budget Index by 24 points as a direct outcome of Open Government Partnership’s (OGP) efforts to deepen citizen participation in budgeting, the OGP Advisor Uchenna Arisukwu has said.
At the NAP (National Action Plan) IV Open Government Partnership (OGP) co-creation workshop held in Abuja on Tuesday, as part of OGP working-level visit scheduled for May 19-23, 2025, where stakeholders across government and civil society reflect on the country’s progress and the challenges ahead in advancing transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, Arisukwu highlighted the indispensable role of international support—particularly from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)—in Nigeria’s strides toward transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance. “Over the years, the participatory budgeting process in Nigeria has improved. On NAP 1 and NAP 2, the Open Budget Index Nigerian ranking increased by 24 points. This leap happened because of OGP’s involvement in improving participation in the budget process.”
According to Arisukwu, since 2016, FCDO has been a cornerstone of both technical and financial backing for Nigeria’s OGP initiatives. He explained: “Since we started funding, Nigeria has developed and implemented three national action plans from 2016 when the process of developing the first action plan began. The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office has been funding and supporting massively.”
He traced the roots of this support back to the predecessor programme, the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), also funded by FCDO, which laid the groundwork for NAP 1, 2, and 3 by building capacities among both state and non-state actors.
Arisukwu underscored FCDO’s role in strengthening the institutional framework of OGP in Nigeria: “FCDO is at the center of supporting capacity building, even for the technical working groups, who are the people vested in implementing the action plan. The national steering committee oversees day-to-day running. Since 2016, there has been an OGP advisor in the Secretariat fully funded by FCDO. Today, I sit in the Secretariat because FCDO funds me to provide technical support to the entire process and represent civil society voices.”
Funding NAP IV and Prioritising Nigeria’s Governance Reform
Looking ahead to the newly launched NAP IV, Arisukwu confirmed: “We are starting NAP 4, and only the FCDO has been funding the process. We have had the first retreat to reflect on the implementation of NAP 3 and what should go into NAP 4, all funded by FCDO.”
He conveyed the UK’s strategic prioritisation of Nigeria’s OGP as a vehicle for transformative governance: “We are here today because FCDO is saying, ‘Look, go ahead. We are prioritizing the OGP because we think it has the potential to turn around the fortunes of the country.’”
Arisukwu highlighted tangible reforms enabled by this partnership: National Open Contracting Portal: Managed by the Bureau of Public Procurement, this portal was developed through extensive engagement funded by FCDO.
Beneficial Ownership Portal: Run by the Corporate Affairs Commission, this portal publicly discloses the true owners of companies in Nigeria, unmasking hidden interests that could be linked to illicit activities.
He explained the significance: “Beneficial ownership is about unmasking or revealing the actual owners of companies in Nigeria. This ensures accountability because if a company is involved in malfeasance, you know who to hold responsible.”
At the heart of OGP’s mission, Arisukwu stressed, is empowering citizens: “OGP is essentially about citizens’ participation—how do you put citizens at the heart of governance? How do they contribute their voices and demand shaping government policies? That is how the social contract is delivered.”
He acknowledged progress in government responsiveness to citizens’ freedom of information requests, while noting there is still work to be done: “We have seen steady improvement in MDAs’ response to citizens. We are not where we want to be yet, but we are not where we used to be. That is what we are pushing under the OGP.”
Also speaking, National Coordinator of the Open Government Partnership Nigeria,
Glory Ahmed, speaking to newsmen at the civil society organisations engagement, highlighted the transformative journey since Nigeria joined OGP in 2016. “Before the Open Government Partnership was signed under the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari, the civic space was very narrow. Access to information was opaque, contracts were hidden, and citizens did not participate in budget processes — the government decided everything,” she explained.
Ahmed added that the progress made through three co-created National Action Plans (NAPs), institutionalised reforms in open contracting, fiscal transparency, and extractive sector transparency. “Now, citizens participate and make inputs in the budget. We have a beneficial ownership register. You can go online and find our budget; citizens are invited even at the developmental stage. They can interrogate, track government budgets and programmes, and demand accountability — a far deviance from where we came from.”
On challenges such as the National Assembly carrying over budget issues repeatedly, Ahmed noted, “If you fail an exam, you have to repeat it. So, carrying over fiscal transparency issues means they need more attention, not that they’ve been ignored.”
Regarding penalties for public officials who fail to provide requested information, Ahmed clarified, “If a citizen requests information, MDAs must respond within seven days or face penalties, including fines or court charges. So far, to my knowledge, no one has been jailed — Nigerians are law-abiding, and many MDAs now proactively publish information online.”
CEO, Public and Private Development Centre
Lucy James, stressed the gap between policy and implementation, particularly in procurement and local content laws. “We’ve had policies enacted, but implementation has always been the challenge. What is the framework for civil society to be part of monitoring? How is government supporting local manufacturers and spotlighting Nigerian talents and innovations?” she asked.
James called for greater transparency in contract awarding processes, noting, “Citizens do not know how contracts are awarded, who the contractors are, where projects will be implemented, or the contract values and timelines. Audit reports show many MDAs are not fully complying with existing policies.”
She urged those in government to lead by example in promoting local content: “Our president should wear made-in-Nigeria clothes, drive Nigerian-made vehicles. If leaders promote local products, citizens will follow. We must also provide access to capital for local producers to scale up.”
Executive Director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi, painted a sobering picture of uneven progress. “Some states that had signed onto OGP are no longer implementing reforms. The Freedom of Information Act has been in place for 14 years, yet many MDAs resist providing information, sometimes sending lawyers to block requests,” she said.
Nwadishi highlighted a critical gap in citizen engagement: “Citizens don’t understand they need to demand accountability, and they lack the information to do so. Without awareness, governance cannot improve.”
On recent developments in the extractive sector, she raised concerns about transparency: “China has just been given permission to produce electric vehicles and mine in Nigeria. The Solid Minerals Act requires a five-year community development agreement before licenses are granted. Have the affected communities consented? Are these agreements accessible to the public? The minister should make these documents available as part of open contracting.”
The visit, coinciding with the 2025 Open Government Week, aims to support the co-creation of Nigeria’s fourth National Action Plan (NAP) for 2025-2029, unlock implementation support for ongoing reforms, and engage new political actors following the 2023 elections.
The OGP delegation, comprising staff from the OGP Support Unit, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM), and the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA), underscored the international commitment to Nigeria’s open government agenda.
The NAP 1, 2, and 3 in the context of Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) refer to the country’s sequential National Action Plans aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance:
NAP 1 (2017-2019) focused on four thematic areas: fiscal transparency, anti-corruption and asset disclosure, access to information, and citizen engagement. It included 14 commitments such as promoting fiscal transparency through citizen participation in budgeting, open contracting, extractive industry disclosures, and strengthening anti-corruption measures.
NAP 2 (2019-2022) built on lessons from NAP 1, continuing efforts in fiscal transparency, anti-corruption, access to information, and citizen engagement, with an emphasis on improving public fund utilization and accountability. It was co-created by a National Steering Committee comprising government and civil society representatives.
NAP 3 (2023-2025) contains 13 commitments covering fiscal openness, anti-corruption and integrity, right to information, environment and climate change, governance, improved service delivery, and civic participation. It seeks to mainstream transparency and citizen participation across sectors, coordinated by a multi-stakeholder National Steering Committee.