By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

The Team Lead of the Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI), Harry Udoh, has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across Nigeria to domesticate and share knowledge on self-regulation within their networks in order to strengthen accountability and improve public confidence in the sector.

Udoh made the call in an interview after a two-day capacity-building workshop on scaling the adoption of CSO self-regulation held in Abuja for organisations from the North Central region.

He said the initiative became necessary in response to what he described as declining public trust in civil society organisations and the perception that has prompted attempts by the National Assembly of Nigeria and government authorities to introduce regulations for the sector.

According to him, civil society organisations had earlier agreed on a set of guiding principles to regulate their operations internally and promote transparency and accountability.

“In order to build government confidence in the sector, civil society organisations came together to agree on certain principles known as self-regulation mechanisms to guide our conduct,” Udoh said.

He explained that the principles were launched in 2023, but a knowledge gap in their implementation prompted the need for capacity-building workshops, with support from the European Union.

Udoh said the training programme was designed to equip selected CSO representatives with the knowledge required to implement the self-regulation framework within their organisations and share it with others.

“We cannot reach every CSO in the 36 states, so we work through national networks whose leaders identify organisations that can assimilate the knowledge and cascade it to other groups in their states,” he said.

He added that similar workshops had been organised across Nigeria’s five geopolitical zones, with the North Central training in Abuja marking the final phase of the exercise.

According to him, the programme introduced participants to key principles of self-regulation aimed at helping organisations strengthen internal governance, improve compliance with external regulations and enhance credibility with regulators and stakeholders.

Udoh also identified lack of awareness as one of the major challenges affecting compliance within the sector.

“Part of the challenge is the knowledge gap within CSOs. In many cases, organisations are unaware of the regulations that apply to them, and some of these rules are quite complex,” he said.

He noted that civil society organisations previously had to comply with numerous regulatory requirements, which many groups were unaware of, thereby creating challenges in compliance.

Udoh said the self-regulation initiative seeks to encourage transparency, peer accountability and responsible governance among organisations.

“Through self-discipline and agreed standards, CSOs can hold themselves accountable, ensure transparency and build confidence among donors, regulators and the public,” he added.

One of the participants, Angela Okoye, Executive Director of the Cor Clinicus Foundation based in Ilorin, described the training as an eye-opening experience and an opportunity to network with other organisations.

She said the programme helped participants understand the importance of internal policies and adherence to established codes of conduct.

“My main takeaway from the training is that CSOs need to put in place policies that guide their operations in line with the 15 codes of conduct,” she said.

Okoye added that policies relating to financial management and the prevention of sexual exploitation are essential for organisations, stressing that clearly defined mission and vision statements also help groups remain focused on their objectives.