…trains CSOs from Southwestern Zone of Nigeria
Over fifty Civil Society Organisations, Network leads and Cooperative Federations across the southwest states of Nigeria have been trained on how to self regulate their operations in order to ensure strict adherence to minimum ethical standards and global best practices.
The two-day capacity building project held in Ikeja, Lagos State was organised by the Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLA), with support from the European Union-funded CSO Strengthening Bridge Project (EU CSO Bridge) and implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
Those invited to the crucial event are civil society organisation champions drawn from the six South-West states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, media professionals, and executive officers from the civil service across the region.
The leaders of the Cooperative Federation in attendance included Elder Isaac Aladesiun, Vice President of Federation of Ekiti State Cooperative; Dr. Ola Olayode Oluwatosin, Executive Secretary of Ondo State Cooperative Federation Limited, Akure; Alhaji Tiamiyu Wasiu Adeoye, Executive Secretary of Federation of Osun State Cooperative and the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Cooperative Federation, Ebun Akin-Falaiye.
The workshop with the theme; Scaling the Adoption of Civil Society Organization (CSO) Self-Regulation in Nigeria: Zonal Capacity Building For CSO Champions And Sub-national Network Leads.” focuses on the introduction of certain policies, codes and mechanism needed by the participants to guide their operations and avoid abuse.
Addressing the participants in his opening remarks, Dr. Harry Udo, the Team Lead of EGLAI, noted that the training is aimed at strengthening CSO governance structures and operational systems, particularly in the face of growing legislative and regulatory pressures that often failed to adequately reflect the realities of civic engagement.
The EGLAI team lead noted that the event is a train-the-trainer workshop of which participants are expected to return to their respective States and cascade the conversations and lessons to other CSOs.
Udo stressed the need for CSOs to self-regulate in order to sanitise the sector and ensure that governments, partners and other stakeholders get to trust civil society groups.
According to him, the Self-Regulation movement would also tackle and expose ghosts CSOs, reform the sector and ensure that the CSOs do more in solving problems in various communities, becoming somewhat “alternative government” to people and keep the country safe and stable.
Udo opined that some unethical activities of CSOs had cast dark clouds in the civil society space and had made it difficult for members of the public to trust and engage civil society organisations, adding that the workshop is meant to reposition the sector by empowering CSOs on how to deepen internal self-regulation and ethical practices.
He said cooperative societies are part of the workshop because they are model of civil society organisations, adding that journalists were invited to cover the workshop because “we consider the media a critical stakeholder in promoting civic accountability and safeguarding civic space.”
Udo told the media participants, “Your coverage of this workshop will help to: Increase public understanding of CSO self-regulation and its relevance to good governance; Highlight constructive, non-coercive approaches to strengthening accountability in the civic sector; and promote informed public discourse on civic space, compliance, and the role of CSOs in national development.”
The Project Manager, CSO Strengthening Bridge (EU CSO-BRIDGE) Project, of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Idem Udoekon affirmed that organizations which self regulate would eventually build public trust, get recommendations and have access to better partnership.
He appealed to the participants to ensure they step down the training while media should give improved support to CSOs by promoting their activities and working with them to operate y the minimum ethical standards.
Seyi Tetteh, Associate Project Officer for the CSO Strengthening Bridge (EU CSO-BRIDGE) Project and the Governing Council member and Chairman Audit & Risk Management Committee of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Babatunde Pelewura, were also present at the workshop.
EGLAI is a civil society-led platform dedicated to strengthening self-regulation for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria. Formerly known as the Civil Society National Self-Regulation Council (CNSRC), EGLAI works to promote ethical standards, good governance, transparency, accountability, and credibility within the civil society sector.
Speaking, EGLAI Programme Officer, Shiiwua Mnenga said that the organisation plans to hold the engagements in all geopolitical zones across Nigeria. He disclosed that the organisation has already empowered CSOs in North-West and South-East and currently training CSOs from South-West.
It is expected that CSOs and other participants will be more trusted, efficient, sustainable and impactful for the betterment of communities and towns in the region.
