By Cross Udo, Abuja
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) yesterday said they would monitor the use of the N5bn approved for states to purchase grains and fertilizers for distribution to citizens to cushion the hardships being faced by Nigerians due to the removal of petroleum subsidy.
The CSOs also told the Federal Government to implement the demands of the organised labour to mitigate the adverse effect of the petrol subsidy removal.
Fielding questions from journalists at the inauguration of the new executive management of the Civil Society Organization on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative, CSCHEI, the Director-General of the group, Kunle Yusuff, said they would seek to use their coordinators in the states to supervise implementation to ensure that it reaches the target beneficiaries.
According to him, over 40,000 registered Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country are ready to work with the government for the implementation of the palliative initiative.
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He said: “We have over 40,000 registered civil society, NGO, and community-based organisations. This new establishment is saddled with the responsibility of committed enhancement and humanitarian empowerment.
“So, it means that like we just said earlier, we are the bridge between the government and the masses which is the core responsibility of civil society.
“Now when you’re talking about the palliative of over N5bn that was just released by the government to help the masses. The only thing that civil society organisations could do is to be part of and supervise the sharing of whatever the government is doing.
“So, we will supervise to ensure that it gets to the real masses. So, I am telling you that in every state we’ll try as much as possible to get involved in ensuring that whatever that is given should be spent judiciously.”
Yusuf also urged the federal government to listen to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and meet their demands over the harsh economic realities in the country.
He said what the organised labour had done by calling for strikes over harsh economic conditions amounts to ensuring checks and balances in the system.
“And this society, any country where there is no check and balance is more or less a banana republic. So, if NLC is presenting their case, and they are now protesting accordingly, the government has to look into it. Of course, civil society is also a part of it,” he said.
While calling on the federal government to act on their demands, he insisted that the CSOs will work with the NLC to see how succour can reach deserving Nigerians.
“This establishment is saddled with the responsibility of community enhancement and humanitarian empowerment.
“We have several civil society organisation and NGOs that actually on labor, trade, and stuff like that. So, we’ll work with them and also see how best to collaborate positively,” the Director General said.
Yusuff said the organisation is an accredited non-profit establishment that coordinates various registered community-based organizations, CBOs, non-governmental organisation, and NGOs to provide community enhancement, humanitarian empowerment, dignity, and societal values for development.
He said, “We are the bridge between the government and the masses. We also interface between communities and private sectors on corporate social responsibility. We establish administrative relationships with development partners and donor agencies on grant interventions.
“Our operational principles are predicated on the precept of logic, science, and data.”
The DG said that the mission of the body is to achieve the best in nurturing inclusive local communities in the advancement of social, economic, humanitarian, and environmental progress of the society, while the vision is to attain sustainable and total progress in human dignity and social developments in the society.
Other members of the Board of Trustees and alliance members include Mrs. Shara Pane, Executive Director, Community and Humanitarian Empowerment, Prince Chukwuemeka Mgbemere, Executive Director- CSOs and CBOs and Osaro Onaiwu (jnr), Director, Operations and Logistics.
