It’s amazing how the offices that are important in government activities seem invisible in time of trouble because no one is holding them responsible or accountable. Many don’t even know their local government chairman or senate representative or who exactly to hold responsible when things happen. That’s where Open Government comes in.
Open Government is a web community built to enable the Nigerian public know which representatives are in power and what their responsibilities are to citizens. It shows what resources are allocated to various government levels and helps to monitor how these resources are spent.
Being a community based service, Open Government puts users in contact with their representatives so they can share their views on project policies being implemented. Users can also discuss among the community, challenges and issues relating to governance.
The platform provides all the information needed about the government – from the president to a local government chairman – immediately the required information about a user is supplied. It also gives a place to supervise all past and present projects in a local government.
“The people in Nigeria currently need a platform to help them understand what the responsibilities of different government representatives are to them, as well as monitor the projects that they are implementing, thereby holding them accountable.
Over the last few years, people in the country have gotten tired of a government that is not responsible to the people; the people are not involved in activities, processes and laws that their representatives are making on their behalf. There is a high level of abuse of funds and resources allocated towards the development of infrastructure for the benefit of society.” – Ogochukwu Francis Osifo, lead programmer at Open Government
Open Government aims to drive a change by engaging individuals to first know about the people that represent them in government and their responsibilities, monitor what they are doing in office, rate them based on key infrastructures needed in the communities, contact them directly from the platform, and share this information with their friends.
Open Government is charting a new terrain towards accountability and transparency in government in Nigeria. Now you can know your local government chairman and even get in touch with him if you want. Visit Open Government to get started.
