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In this interview with CHIOMA UMEHA, Dr. Harry Udoh, the Team Lead of the Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI), a civil society-led platform, revealed that the CSO Project, now concluding nationwide, has trained regional champions to promote accountability and transparency across the sector. Udoh, who spoke after a two day workshop in Lagos, noted that poor governance and weak management had eroded donor confidence, while government over regulation threatened to constrict civic space. By adopting self regulation, He argued, CSOs can strengthen internal structures, reassure stakeholders, and continue delivering social impact. Excerpts:
Why has self regulation become critical for Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria amid concerns over government overreach and donor dissatisfaction?
Two things led to this drive: one is that the Civil Society Organisation is necessary for every society, basically because of the important role that they play, driving socio-economic development within societies, because their work is driven by passion. You know, people can wake up today and begin to drive advocacy in different aspects of work that is done, the proliferation of civic society organisations, which came and all kinds of persons entering the frame of that sector without proper guidance, without proper regulation, while some were doing great work, solving weekend problems, there were black sheep within that.
So, the government began to look at ways to regulate the sector, and they did that without the proper understanding of that sector, which led to blanket regulations that affected different strata of civil society and seemed to constrict the space. And so, what happened was that civil societies agitated, engaged, on what the government was doing, what they considered as over-regulation of the space; that’s the first ground.
The second ground was that donors who are major supporters of the work that civil society organisations do will also dissatisfy with the way that organisations were running their affairs. For instance, after donor support ends, it’s just to help you do certain things and expect you to run after the donor funding ends. But because of poor governance, poor management strategies, what happened became that organisations were not sustainable, it became necessary to look at ways and means to ensure sustainability, efficiency, management of resources, and proper governance organisations that will guarantee the sustainability of organisations have become necessary. And so, for us, the idea became to see how we can push back on the seeming conscription of the space and government over-regulation, and to ensure we can build the trust and confidence of regulators, donors, and critical stakeholders.
What is the core objective of the CSO Project, and how has it been implemented across Nigeria’s regions?
The Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Project, which concludes this February, was designed to create awareness on self regulation and strengthen accountability within the sector. The central question we sought to answer was: how do we encourage civil society organisations across Nigeria to adopt self regulation effectively, given the limited resources available? We recognised the need to identify champions who could drive this process at the sub national level. These champions were brought together regionally, not only for sensitisation but also for capacity building. The idea was to equip them with the knowledge and tools to promote self regulation within their states, ensuring that organisations and networks understood its importance and could implement it effectively. This phase began in Enugu in January, covering the South East region. It was followed by the North West session last week, and today (February 11), we are in the South West. Next week, we move to the North East. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many CSOs now recognise that public perception of civil society has often been inaccurate. In reality, CSOs are solving critical problems and contributing significantly to national development.
Civil society advocates for good governance, transparency, and accountability. We monitor public finance, track budgets, and ensure value for government expenditure. Without these interventions, Nigeria’s challenges would be far greater. While some may view CSOs merely as protest groups, their role extends far beyond demonstrations. They are organised, institutionalised, and deeply engaged in policy advocacy. Over the past 12 to 15 years, many of the policy changes witnessed in Nigeria have been driven by civil society engagement. Historically, CSOs began with charity work, then expanded into service delivery, providing health, education, livelihoods, and entrepreneurial support where government capacity was limited. Today, the focus has shifted to policy advocacy, recognising that sound policies can impact millions more than isolated service delivery. Ultimately, the CSO Project underscores the importance of self regulation. By strengthening governance structures, building trust with regulators and donors, and ensuring compliance, civil society can remain vibrant, transparent, and accountable. This is essential for creating an equitable society where justice and opportunity are accessible to all.
Why do you believe self regulation is essential for CSOs to maintain credibility and independence in Nigeria’s democratic space?
So, civil society organisations came together, and we began to engage them from 2022. Self regulation became an option; it is a way of washing your hands clean so you can eat with elders. We began to explore modalities and mechanisms to put our house in order, to give confidence to regulators so they could ease attempts at over regulation. Every National Assembly since the advent of democracy has tried, in one way or another, to introduce regulations that actually stifle the space. Blanket regulations are akin to the government shooting itself in the foot, given the good work civil society organisations do. In many communities, civil society interventions serve as the alternative government that people recognise, because the state has not reached them. The idea was first to push back against over regulation, to clean house and ensure organisations operate efficiently, creating social impact within communities. That was the essence of self regulation, not merely because several organisations make mistakes, nor to excuse misconduct in operations. Rather, it was to establish organisations capable of delivering effectively on their mandate in society.
How critical is the role of civil society in ensuring ethical governance and preventing exploitation of citizens by the public and private sectors?
We have the public sector, the private sector, and the civil society sector. These are the three pillars within every society. Civil society plays the role of holding the other two sectors accountable. If civil society crumbles, the private and public sectors could exploit citizens unchecked. Civil society ensures that business is conducted ethically, in ways that do not infringe on people’s freedoms. They influence policy, and a single policy can determine the survival of a business enterprise. Without this balance, society risks collapse. When the three sectors work together, an egalitarian society emerges. Consider American society: its vibrancy stems from the strength of civil society. The United States has the greatest number of civil society organisations, which is why accountability and transparency are so prominent. Governments must therefore enact enabling policies, not stifling ones, and establish mechanisms that help the sector thrive. A thriving civil society also reduces unemployment. Organisations employ people, pay salaries, and those employees pay taxes to the government. When policies deconstruct the sector and force civil societies to close, the economy suffers. Self regulation is now being embraced by many CSOs nationwide. Over 1,000 organisations across the regions have already indicated interest. Nigeria has about 20,000 CSOs, and with this scale up, capacity building will empower champions to return to their states, spread awareness, safeguard the civic space, and report effectively.
How can collaboration between the media and civil society strengthen accountability and protect the civic space from restrictive policies?
Journalists are part of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and as members of the NUJ, which itself is a civil society organisation, confidence in the media often fluctuates. The media, through the NUJ, can self regulate and convey the message to other journalists as one unified body. On the other hand, journalists do commendable work. They amplify the efforts of other sectors—government, businesses, and civil society organisations. We expect journalists to highlight the drive for self regulation, placing it on the front burner by reporting, producing features, and collaborating with civil society organisations to strengthen the civic space. When the civic space is constricted, the media is equally affected. For example, the cyber bullying law, which is ambiguous and vague, means that simply publishing a story could result in prosecution under cybercrime legislation. These are among the issues civil society is actively pushing back against. Together with the media, civil society can achieve significant progress in ensuring that neither the media nor civil society organisations are stifled. By working in partnership, both can safeguard freedoms and prevent the constriction of the space essential for democratic accountability.
How should CSOs position themselves to remain transparent, united, and effective in driving the nation’s progress?
The civil society sector is critical to Nigeria’s development. We need to make it strong and vibrant, as well as transparent and accountable both vertically and horizontally—accountable to regulators, donors, and all who provide resources enabling us to work. Focused accountability is also essential. You should be able to explain what you are doing and why, which builds trust and fosters collaboration. We cannot operate in silos; we must present a collective front to achieve the results society urgently requires.
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