BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Out of over 1000 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, there is an indication that about 800 shutdown their offices and suspended operations and programmes due to shrunk reserves during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The affected CSOs include Faith-based Organisations, Community-based Organisations, Non-governmental Organisations, Social Enterprise Organisations, Unions/Coalition/Umbrella Organisations and among others.
This was further exacerbated given their over-dependence on donor agencies and weak technological infrastructure, a situation that defaced the non-profit intervention organisations.
It formed the crux of a 48-page report titled, "Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria", conducted by The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) Accra, Ghana, with support from Wilde Ganzen Foundation.
While WACSI was set up by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in 2005 to strengthen the institutional and operational capacities of civil societies in the West Africa, the Wilde Ganzen Foundation, a Dutch Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) was founded in 1957, with a mission to reduce poverty and inequality through community-led initiatives.
Published in 2021, the report highlighted the encumbrances encountered by CSOs at the peak and post-pandemic era irrespective of the funds donated to the federal government by donor agencies, private sectors and philanthropists.
It garnered responses from 80 CSOs through an electronically administered questionnaire in compliance with COVID-19 regulations, which was backed-up with data from a Focus Group Discussion (FGD).
The research attested that 88 percent of the CSOs conceded to the shutdown and closure of offices, just as 72 percent experienced restrictions of staff movements, while 70 percent cancelled meetings, conferences, and local and international travels.
Findings revealed that state responses like lockdowns, border closures, physical and social distancing protocols and bans on public gatherings, placed unimaginable strains on CSOs and their beneficiaries.
In addition, over 55 percent of the CSOs lacked the capacity to mobilise domestic resources while 79 percent had no financial reserves at all.
The report highlighted the need for WACSI to upscale the capacities of CSOs by providing resources for more in-country and regional networks to enable the organisations share experiences, learn and support each other.
Given Nigeria’s deficit in technological infrastructure, the CSOs pleaded with WACSI, civil society and development partners to improve their use of technology and capacity to generate funds without compromising values, as it would alleviate the impacts of the pandemic on vulnerable communities.
The report pointed out that CSOs should be selected across the geo-political zones of the country to initiate programmes towards mobilising resources locally to complement external resources.
It reads, "The unsavoury experiences faced by the CSOs and the public during the pandemic which exposed the draconian and obsolete nature of certain laws, spike and bestiality in domestic violence, unwarranted loss of lives and reported brutalisation of citizens by security and lenforcement agents while enforcing restrictions, should be used to develop areas of thematic collaboration, agenda setting for researches and advocacy by CSOs, policy makers and researchers in driving post-COVID-19 recovery."
As the federal government battles to contend with the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, accompanied by high inflation and foreign exchange, most CSOs depended on technology and network providers as seen in zoom meetings and conferences, as well as video calls and interviews.
The CSOs requested for financial support through aid and grants, likewise trainings to preserve their legacies, just as the federal government provided relief and stimulus packages for other sectors.
They argued that the findings would upturn agelong policies and practices, adding that the attempt to stealthily pass the controversial Health Bill highlighted some of the state-centric efforts to cripple the not-profit organisations.
On paucity of data, the report added, "The lack of data on household poverty, household nutritional needs, mental health and public health awareness meant that the distribution of palliatives and provision of other essential service were done without empirical data."
"The spike in gender-based violence, human rights abuses by the police and other security agencies, the proliferation of fake news constitute some valuable topical issues that require more research collaborations and initiatives to understand why such social ills flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Lack of appropriate skills in information and communication technology and the existence of laws that ought to have been reviewed constrained the activities of CSOs, media, academics and even the government in forming the appropriate synergy and collaboration to cushion the effects of COVID-19 and mobilise adequate resources to minimise the impact of these effects", it highlighted.
The Institute lauded the efforts of a don, Centre for Peace & Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Dr. Gbemisola Abdul-Jelil Animasawun for leading the research team in Nigeria, as well as the 6-member editorial team based in Ghana for the painstaking research.
Comments
Post a Comment