Lagos to partner NGOs, civil society groups on development initiatives

Lagos State Government has said it will partner with non-government organisations (NGO) and civil society groups to attain development and improve social indices in the state.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Samuel Egube, stated this, at the weekend, during a “Lagos State Development Partners Initiative: NGO Summit 2022,” in Lagos.

Egube said the state would bring together all the NGOs across the state and intimate them on the processes and procedures to help drive their individual programmes and projects from the angle of the “T.H.E.M.E.S” agenda.

He maintained that other reasons for the summit was considered an avenue for the creation of a platform that will allow NGOs and civil societies have direct contact with government to assist the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget and other related ministries in their current mandate with development partners in sourcing and coordinating interventions across the state.

Contributing, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Economic Planning and Budget, Aare Adebayo Sodade, said that over 10 million NGOs are in the world, adding that several thousands of those NGOs are based in Nigeria.

Sodade added that owing to the pivotal nature of Lagos State as the melting pot of Nigeria and the peculiar experiences of the non-governmental/community-based organisation operating in the state, government decided to bring together all the NGOs and intimate them on the processes and procedures of government and ensure direct and continuous conversation with them for better co-ordination.

Also, earlier in his welcome address, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ibrahim Obajomo, said the NGO summit was an avenue to bring together the grassroots NGOs and form a consortium for better networking opportunities to partner with larger local and international NGOs.

He urged all the participating NGOs to contribute efficiently in a way that will bring about strong relationship between their respective organisations and Lagos State Government.

Similarly, in her contribution, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Development Partnerships and Economic Planning, Aisha Agbaje, said the NGO summit would afford people to know what Lagos do in governance, adding that many people do not know the activities of government, talk less of connecting or have anything to do with them.

She maintained that the maiden summit would enable NGOs and the citizenry participate in governance and have direct and continuous conversation with government.

In her presentation, the Special Adviser for Sustainable Development Goals and Lagos Global, Mrs. Solape Hammond, urged all NGOs not to distance themselves from government, but rather should find ways to work together.

Hammond urged NGOs to first of all familiarise themselves with the agenda of government, know what they are doing whether right or otherwise, and then finally identify how and where to come in and collaborate.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Bolaji Dada, who was represented by Mrs. Babarinde Itunu, applauded the organisers of the summit for enhancing women’s proficiency across all strata such that a huge percentage of the women will become financial contributors to economic growth.