Civil society and Human Rights organization Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) has called on Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to convene a civil society organization dialogue and interface to determine the Registered and recognized advocate groups working in the state.

FENRAD was reacting to a press release by the state government in which it called on a civil society group whose name is unknown to disembark on a planned protest in Aba and Umuahia scheduled to take place Monday 14th June 2021.

FENRAD insists that the group said to have planned the protest is a faceless group claiming to be a civil society organization in Abia State.

Featuring as a guest on Radio Program, Platform, an interactive civil program on Real FM Aba, Abia state on Monday 14th June 2021, Executive Director of FENRAD Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor called on the Government of Abia state to organize a Civil society organization dialogue to get updates of the Registered and recognized organization working in the state.

Mr. Nwafor advocated for government periodic dialogue with the registered and recognized civil society organization in the state to keep them abreast of the Government programme and Activities.

He said this will enable the government to get an updated list of Working CSOs, not those masquerading as CSOs while they are what he described as briefcase CSOs.

He said in a statement, "It is important that Government will create a channel of interface to be a mechanism for engagement with the civil society organization issues of Governance, security and the Running of the State is very important for appraisal to enable the Government to understand the Area they are doing well or not.

" This is very important with the current economic trend and insecurity across the country. The civil society organizations constituency is a very veritable platform that will help disseminate Government Activities and be constructive in criticism if been carried along. This initiative will be a welcome Development and strengthened community interface and knowledge of the Government programmes and Activities.The Civil society organization are Respected all over the world for their contributions in Agenda setting and setting mechanism for Probity, transparency, and Accountability to hold Government to hold and The Genuine organization cannot fold their hands and see miscreants desecrate the WORD Civil society for their self-interest and for their belly.

"The Civil society organization in the State have an organized structure with a different organization working on their thematic areas of specialization.

"With the increasing trend of proflieration of civil society organization by a selfish individual. It has become pertinent for stocktaking and Data gathering of genuine organization and create a mechanism for Government periodic interface and dialogue with the organization on the Government programme and Activities and create a Rapid Response channel to reach the larger group in the cases of emergency and other emerging state issues."

Source: https://abntv.com.ng/2021/06/interface-with-csos-in-abia-to-know-registered-advocate-groups-fenrad-urges-ikpeazu/

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