CSOs Dismiss Political Sponsorship Allegations, Affirm Independence

Some civil society organisations (CSOs) have dismissed claims that they were being sponsored by political parties or government actors, insisting that their activities were not politically motivated.

The director-general of the Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) and national project convener, Mr Kunle Yusuff, stated this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the inauguration of National Committee Members for the Civil Society Organisations Summit 2026 in Abuja.

Responding to questions from journalists, Yusuff said CSO  are focused on contributing to national development and promoting good governance.

“As mentioned in my speech, we have over 60,000 registered NGOs, CSOs and CBOs. About 25,000 are operational, and 7,500 are accredited,” he said.

He added that there is a recognised platform that supervises, coordinates, organises and accredits CSOs and CBOs as a means of evaluating members.

Yusuff further stated that 3,500 registered and accredited CSOs are spread across 26 states and 460 local government areas out of the 774 local governments in the country.

“The aggregated civil society, as our allied members, is not being sponsored. Of course, you can define your sponsor, but to be politically motivated is zero.

“We are grown enough to know that this is the only way to contribute to national development, this is the only way to serve humanity, and this is the only way to project good governance for Nigerians to benefit,” he said.

Speaking at the summit, Yusuff said the inauguration of the National Committee members was part of preparations for the Civil Society Organisations Summit 2026.

He said it was the first time most civil society organisations had agreed to come together to organise a national summit.

According to him, the summit will focus on five areas: food security, democracy, development, the judiciary, and security architecture.

He added that the theme of the summit is “Nigeria First.”

Yusuff said the mandate of civil society organisations includes holding the government accountable, promoting justice, equity, and fairness, and advancing good governance.

He also noted that civil society organisations play a role in elections as they are nominated and accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to serve as election observers.

He said civil society organisations would come together to assist and support INEC with voter education and advocacy, and to organise debates from the national to the local government levels.

“We want to know our candidates. We want to know what your capacity is in governance, what your integrity is, what your relationship with your people is,” he said.

He added that the platform would enable Nigerians to assess the credibility and acceptance of candidates before they emerge.

Yusuff said the platform would also provide an open floor for general discussion.

“For the first time, civil society organisations in Nigeria, through this platform, will organise a national debate for all the candidates, from presidential candidates, governors, National Assembly members, State Assembly members, chairmen of local government, to tell us about their manifestos,” he said.

He said candidates would be required to explain how their manifestos relate to the Sustainable Development Goals, climate action and climate financing, and how they project developmental values.

He also said candidates would be expected to explain how their manifestos define the strategic means of delivering dividends of democracy within a short period.

“Enough is enough. We don’t want to have a professional destitute again at the helm of affairs,” he said.

Yusuff called on professionals, development practitioners and executive practitioners to join politics and present what they have to offer Nigerians.

He said doing so would ensure that by 2027, elected and appointed officers would be accountable and respect humanitarian values.

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