Politics
LAWMAKERS in the Enugu State House of Assembly have said they would initiate bills that would take care of the activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the state.
The Assembly’s Committee Chairman on Rural Development, NGOs and CSOs, Mr Johnson Chukwuobasi, made the disclosure in Enugu on Tuesday during a familirisation meeting with NGOs and CSOs in the state.
“I wish to remind all of you seated in this complex that under my watch, it will no longer be business as usual; members of the committee will soon be initiating bills that will take care of the activities of NGOs and CSOs in Enugu State.
“I strongly believe that some of the challenges you are having in the field will be accommodated in it.
“I want to use this medium to remind all of you that in as much as our passion and commitment is selfless service to humanity, it must be done within the confines of the law. Any NGO or CSO that fails to live up to expectation will be sidelined.
“As the chairman of this committee, I am more of a rural rugged person. I spent major part of my life in the hinterland and I am so much worried that your impact has not been felt at the grassroots,” he said.
Chukwuobasi said that they would be given a form to fill for documentation; the form would assist them in partnering with the government, adding that activities in it would be reviewed periodically.
He promised to assist them within the best of his ability if they would be honest and passionate with their work.
The committee chairman commended them for their time, effort and resources they had committed in the course of discharging their duties.
He equally applaud them for their passion, noting that he was not trying to undermined their efforts, urging those that had programmes in the hinterland to keep doing what they know how to do.
Contributing, the member representing Nsukka East Constituency, Mr Chinedu Nwamba, praised them for their contributions during the budget, noting that it showed they were familiar with every item in the budget.
Nwamba said the Assembly would continue to partner with them, especially in their oversight functions and in other programmes of the House and urged them to always approach them for clarity instead of using criticism.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Divine Era Development and Social Rights Initiative (DEDASRI), Mrs Ogechukwu Enwelum, said that the work of NGOs and CSOs was to help and monitor government activities and indicate where they did not do well.
Enwelum said that government would not have been without the assistance from CSOs, adding that they had been doing their best to assist in the implementation of government policies and programmes.
She said that their work was charity, noting that they should be commended for the ones they had done because nobody pays them.
The executive director said that on the part of CSOs they had done well challenging government to do their part, adding that they were the brain behind most of the government programmes in Enugu State.
While contributing, the founder of Daniel Ukwu Leadership Foundation, Mr Daniel Ukwu, said the greatest problem they were facing in the country was not being able to say things the way it is because of personal interest.
Ukwu said the government would never identify where they were going wrong until people tell them the exact position of things in the society, noting that NGOs were on ground to identify problems but government do not listen to them.
He called for synergy between the government, NGOs and CSOs to enable things work effectively again.
Similarly, the Founder of Civil Society for Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria, Chief Goddy Agujiokah, said that his NGO had visited Nkanu East, Igbo-Eze South and North Local Government Areas respectively to sensitise people on dangers of tuberculosis.
Agujiokah urged Enugu State Government to assist NGOs with counterpart funding to enable them access funds from international partners to do some renovation of schools and other programmes.
In a related development, the Assistant Coordinator, Albino Foundation, Enugu State chapter, Mrs Nonye Ogbuagu, said that they needed help from the government to sensitise teachers in various schools on how to treat children with albino to avoid cancer, noting that cancer was one of the major challenges.
Ogbuagu said that on her own part, she had carried out sensitisation programmes to the rural areas to ensure that children with albino were well protected and urged the government to help and provide them with protective cream and sun shades to avert skin cancer.
NAN
– Oct 15, 2019 @ 15:50 GMT |
Tags: CSOs in Enugu House of Assembly to initiate bills to take care of activities of NGOs
