Leaders of some leading Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has said that there is a general lack of understanding of the history, impact and typologies of civil society organisations in Nigeria, leading to the misunderstanding of their roles and impacts in the society.
They said this on Wednesday during a webinar titled, “CSOs in Nigeria: A Journey Through Time – History, Impact and Regulation” organised by the European Union (EU) Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation (ACT) Programme; Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the British Council.
According to them, the regulatory frameworks that regulates the affairs of the CSOs are not well understood either and have thus been badly administered by the regulators on the one hand and very poorly complied with by the CSOs on the other hand.
The Executive Director of Sesor Empowerment Foundation, Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, moderated the virtual meeting with Damilare Babalola, National Programme Manager, Agent for Citizen-Driven Transformation (ACT) Programme, giving the insights of the meeting.
“This general lack of knowledge and understanding of the sector has resulted in various misperceptions and malpractices. For example, many people within and outside the Nigerian society hold the perception that Nigerian CSOs mainly receive large donations from foreign donors and that Civil Society actors are living large off these donations without being sufficiently accountable.
“Added to this, there are allegations from some government agencies that some NGOs are anti-Nigerian government and aiding Boko Haram by giving humanitarian aid to all sides in conflict or insisting that the Nigerian government recognize the rights of all parties in a conflict,” the meeting noted.
Participants said they expect a better understanding of the sector, its impact, the critical role it continues to play and its challenges; the CSOs to adapt to regulatory measures and increase in self-compliance; and to strengthen multi-stakeholder engagement with a view to ensuring regulatory frameworks that work for the sector and the society.
Other participants are John Onyeukwu, Programme Manager, Civil Society and Local Authorities, European Union Delegation in Nigeria and ECOWAS; Data Phido, Executive Director of Africa Radio Drama Association; Hajiya Mairo Bello, Executive Director of Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP); and Dr. Josephine Ogazi, Executive Director, Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organisation (WEWE) among others.
