The League of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Kano State has raised serious concerns over the recently released list of non-state actors under the Kano State Open Government Partnership (OGP), describing it as technically flawed and administratively weak.
In an open letter dated April 27, 2026, and addressed to the Kano State OGP Secretariat, the group said while it appreciates efforts to expand participation, the document falls short of global standards required for transparency and accountability.
The CSOs argued that the OGP is “not merely a forum for social gathering,” but a global governance framework that demands accuracy, structure, and technical rigour.
According to them, the current list of 123 organisations “functions more as an informal roster than a formal registry of partners.”
The group highlighted several gaps in the document, including the absence of proper metadata such as reference numbers, validation dates, and authorisation details.
It warned that this creates uncertainty for stakeholders, especially in decision-making processes tied to state action plans.
They also criticised the lack of thematic classification, noting that although the list claims to group organisations by focus areas, it remains a flat compilation without clear alignment to sectors like fiscal transparency or service delivery.
The letter further pointed out clerical issues, including duplication of entries and inconsistent naming. It cited examples where some organisations appeared more than once, while others were listed both as acronyms and in full.
It also described the inclusion of “All Media Organisations” as vague and unsuitable for an official registry.
The CSOs expressed concern over the absence of contact details and verification data, stressing that a credible partnership framework requires identifiable organisations with traceable information.
To address the issues, the group proposed reforms such as adopting a structured, table-based registry format with clear fields for legal names, thematic focus, contact persons, and verification status. It also recommended the inclusion of document identification numbers, approval dates, and official sign-offs.
In addition, the CSOs called for a data-cleaning process to eliminate duplication and ensure accuracy, as well as the publication of the registry in machine-readable formats like Excel or CSV to improve accessibility and analysis.
The group warned that poor documentation could damage Kano’s credibility within the global OGP community, noting that “the quality of a state’s documentation is often viewed as a proxy for the quality of its governance.”
As part of its demands, the League urged the immediate suspension of the current list, a comprehensive verification of all organisations, and a joint validation meeting involving relevant stakeholders to produce a revised and credible registry.
It added that it remains ready to support the Secretariat with technical expertise to ensure that future documentation meets both national and international standards.
“We look forward to a swift and professional response,” the letter stated, reaffirming the group’s commitment to transparency and accountability in governance.
