The Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO) and the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks have teamed up to promote common understanding of the legal obligations of nonprofits in the country.

The two networks, in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 02 March, 2022, in Abuja, agreed to ensure full compliance and adopt best practices in governance and accountability in Nigeria.

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, had raised concerns over the absence of a unified regulatory and supervisory framework for nonprofits in the country.

‘The crisis [insurgency] in the civic space has only resulted in the proliferation of nonprofit organisations, especially in the northeast where the country is most challenged with the colossal humanitarian crisis created by the Boko Haram insurgency’, Bawa said in November 2021.

‘The continued and increasing exposure of their activities coupled with the absence of a unified comprehensive regulatory and supervisory framework for the sector in the country remains a source of concern for the authorities’.

In their response to the concerns raised by the government, civil society stakeholders developed a framework to improve the credibility and transparency in the operations of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria.

The signing of the MoU between the NNNGO, which represents over 3,000 nonprofits, and the regional civil society network – a forum also with over 3,000 CSOs – is expected to facilitate effective advocacy on issues of regulatory frameworks.

‘We have a collective goal which is to ensure a thriving operational environment for nonprofits in Nigeria and what we have done today is a step in the right direction’, the Executive Director of the NNNGO, Oluseyi Oyebisi, said in a statement.

For his part, Chairman of the Conference of Northern Civil Society Networks, Ibrahim Waiya, said, ‘…[A]s nonprofit networks, it is imperative to work together especially with the critical stakeholders in the sector as this will help the Nigerian civil society gain credibility, legitimacy and transparency as a sector’.

According to the organisations, the MoU will also ensure appropriate consultation on matters of relevant and significant policies and programmes of government that affect civil society, Nigerian citizens and national development.

Photo source: NNNGO