The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs) in Ogun State have organized a one-day capacity building workshop and discussion session as part of the Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI).
Penpushing reports that the session was held at the Youth Network on HIV/AIDS, Population and Development in Nigeria (NYNETHA) Hall, situated within premises of former Ministry of Works in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta and was attended by over 24 representatives from Civil Society.
The platform led by Nigerian Civil Society is a workshop aimed to promote the adoption of self-regulation among the existing Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria, as well as in providing selected Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) representatives with the necessary knowledge to implement the self-regulation framework and maintain ethical standards within their organizations.
Penpushing further reports that it will thereby amplify their impact on society as a whole, while the discussion underscored the significance of upholding ethical operational standards and fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, trust, and accountability within the internal workings of civil societies
The Sub – National Head and the Chairman of Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations, Ogun State (CONGOS) Adesegun Adesina in his opening remarks acknowledged the presence of all Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) representatives in attendance.
Penpushing reports that chairman of the coalition in same vein, relayed that the essence of the workshop event was to adopt and sensitize civil society organizations in Ogun State on self-regulation standards and ethical practices, driving positive change in society and the overall progress of the civil society movement.
The chairman elaborated on the concept and essence of Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI) describing the initiative as an ecosystem as a collaborative network of Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) in tandem that fosters a supportive environment for their growth and mission fulfillment.
Penpushing further reports that he indicated that the primary objective of Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI) is to promote the adoption of self-regulatory measures and adherence to ethical standards, and equally discussed the identity, anticipated key outcomes, and fundamental strategies of Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI), which prominently featured the critical strategy of establishing and enforcing ethical guidelines and standards.
The chairman explained that Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative (EGLAI) is a Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) strengthening bridge project funded by the European Union (EU) and being implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
Penpushing reports that he equally addressed the ongoing challenges encountered by Civil Society Organizations in Ogun State, including restricted funding and regulatory obstacles, among others and suggested methods to improve the effectiveness of Civil Society Organizations.
The workshop trainer, Olalekan Sodipo from the Peasants Dragnets on the topic, ‘Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative’ explained the Civil Society Organization’s self-regulation measures and the essence.
Penpushing further reports that he defined self-regulation as the voluntary systems,standards and measures that Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) put in place to assess their conduct, performance and accountability rather than being controlled primarily through external intervention.
The lecturer equally discussed the significance of self-regulation measures, highlighting the advantages of self-regulation, which include fostering public trust, preventing mismanagement, and outlining the elements of self-regulation such as sanction mechanisms, ethical codes of conduct, and monitoring and evaluation processes, among others.
Penpushing also reports that he stressed the necessity for every volunteer and staff member to be aware of the organization’s mission and vision to facilitate the smooth operation of the organization.
The other topic was Civic Space and Compliance Challenges at the Sub-National level in Nigeria’, and Mrs. Temidayo Awoniyi a trainer from the Youth Future Savers Initiative (YFSI) discussed the Civic space at the sub-national level and the dynamics affecting the functionality of Civil Society Organizations across Nigeria such as funding issues, geographical bias and state policies and regulations among others.
Penpushing reports that she elaborated on the compliance challenges facing sub-national Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s), capacity constraints, the distinguishment between government regulation and self-regulation and the role of self-regulation in protecting civic space.
The trainer from WAPHOD, Richard Damilola on his part discussed the minimum standards of operations for Nigerian Civil Society Organizations in which he distinguished between Governmental Civil Society Organizations and Voluntary Civil Society movements.
Penpushing further reports that he identified the importance of a vision and mission statement encoded formally in a written document by the organization, organizational structure, activities and programmes which must be consistent with the mission of the organization etc.
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