Kaduna State is the best state in transparency and open governance in Nigeria, a report has shown.
Kaduna was closely followed by Ebonyi, Kano, Edo and Enugu states respectfully in the report tagged “Open State Government Ranking”, conducted by the Public and Private Development Center (PPDC) as part of its annual good governance and transparency initiative.
The top five states complied fully the Open Government Partnership (OGP), posting on budget and contract information on state website.
On the contrary, Zamfara, Gombe and Borno states were ranked in the lowest in transparency and management of government’s finances and processes.
They are followed by Benue, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Imo and Kebbi states respectively.
Others that also failed standard are Taraba, Sokoto, Rivers, Osun, Ondo and Ogun states.
According to the report, the criteria for the ranking included states that has subscribed to the OGP, Open budget and open contracting. “The open state government ranking is aimed at encouraging state government’s commitment in promoting transparency and accountability by making public information and data available on its website.
The ranking has highlighted states that have followed guidelines of the State Action Plan (SAP) which address the demands of the OGP in the area of fiscal transparency, anti-corruption, and access to information and citizens’ engagement.
“It provides opportunity for citizens to participate in governance through monitoring of contracting process and implementation by state governments as well as the availability of that information on the websites of the state. Available of detailed breakdown of state budget on the websites which outlines government’s revenue projection and spending plan for citizens,” the report said.
