Group Demands Reforms, Self-Regulation In Civil Society Sector

The Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI) has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across Nigeria to strengthen internal governance and embrace self-regulation so as to remain credible and effective in holding the government accountable.

EGLAI team lead, Dr. Harry Udoh, made the call at a two-day zonal capacity-building workshop for civil society organisation champions drawn from the North Central states of Nasarawa, Kwara, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Niger, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), held at BON Hotel-Elvis, Abuja.

The capacity was done with the support from the European Union-funded CSO Strengthening Bridge Project (EU CSO Bridge), implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

Themed; “Scaling the Adoption of Self-Regulation in Nigeria: Zonal Capacity Building for CSO Champions and Sub-national Network Leads,” the workshop brought together representatives of diverse civil society organisations across the region for intensive learning, peer engagement and practical planning sessions aimed at strengthening governance, transparency and sustainability within the civic space.

EGLAI Team Lead, Udoh, pointed out that civil society organisations have historically played critical roles in nation-building, advocacy, service delivery and social development, often filling gaps where government presence is limited.

He cautioned that the integrity of civil society is under threat unless organisations adopt stronger ethical reforms and constitutional governance.

He noted that a functional code of conduct is the foundation of any credible institution, stressing that organisational principles must guide decisions, actions, and operations.

He explained that the push for civil society self-regulation in Nigeria did not begin recently but was the outcome of years of reflection, engagement and collective learning within the sector rooted in aspiration to build a vibrant, transparent and accountable civil society ecosystem capable of delivering effectively on its mandates while retaining public trust.

He noted that the European Union’s continued support, beginning with earlier initiatives and later reinforced through the EU CSO Bridge Project, was aimed at strengthening CSO governance structures and operational systems, particularly in the face of growing legislative and regulatory pressures that often failed to adequately reflect the realities of civic engagement.

According to him, at various points, attempts were made to introduce laws that, though sometimes well-intentioned, risked constricting civic space due to limited understanding of the civil society ecosystem. He stressed that such developments made it necessary for CSOs to look inward, acknowledge internal shortcomings and collectively establish minimum standards of conduct that align with both national laws and global best practices.

He explained that this introspection led to the development of the Nigerian CSO Self-Regulation Framework, which originally comprised multiple modalities designed to guide civil society governance and operations. However, following subsequent reviews in 2023 and 2024, stakeholders agreed to adopt a more streamlined hybrid approach combining code of conduct, self-assessment mechanisms and working group information systems to enable effective monitoring, evaluation and compliance.

Mr. Shiwua Mnenga, EGLAI Project Officer outlined practical steps CSOs can adopt to strengthen self-regulation. He recommended structured self-assessment mechanisms as a means of ensuring accountability and sustainability.

He explained that the workshop was designed as a training-of-champions model to equip participants with the knowledge and tools required to drive grassroots adoption of self-regulation across the country.