Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have sought for more collaboration with the National Assembly for nation-building.The stakeholders made the call in Lagos during a two-day joint workshop for the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and House of Representatives Committee on Civil Societies and Development Matters.
The workshop, with the theme, “Understanding and Sustaining Collaboration with Civil Society,” was organised by the European Union-funded Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation (ACT) programme, implemented by the British Council in Nigeria.
The workshop aimed at equipping the legislators with necessary skills and knowledge that are required to enhance collaboration and foster constructive relationships between legislators and CSOs.
Founder, Centre LSD/Chair of Technical Committee on CSO Legislative Engagement, Dr OtiveIgbuzor, stated that CSOs solve normative issues that are necessary for societal development of which the government or private sector cannot do. He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to support the work of the CSOs so that the country could have peace, harmony and progress.
Also, Programme Manager, Global Rights Nigeria, EdosaOviawe, appealed to the government to categorise NGOs into the existing law, particularly the ones operating at the grassroots level and make different obligations for different requirements for those NGOs.
He said when it’s done, the state could register smaller NGOs of which they would have the backing of the law and do the necessary registration to be able to function well.
Meanwhile, Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organisations, Victor Umeh, in his speech, said CSOs possess invaluable grassroots knowledge that enables them to identify local needs and devise context-specific solutions.
Their independence, he said, made them serve as honest brokers, bridging gaps between different stakeholders and advocating inclusive policies. In her remarks, the Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Lucy Pearson, said the two-day workshop provides a unique opportunity to explore ways to strengthen the partnership between legislators and civil society organisations, which would inevitably create an enabling environment where civil society thrives, legislative processes are enhanced, and the voices of all citizens are heard and valued.
