Civil societies and NGOs outraged by Governor Otu’s fresh snub on recent appointments – CrossRiverWatch

By Patrick Obia

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Cross River State are furious over the continued snub by Governor Bassey Otu over his recent appointment.

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The CSOs expressed their displeasure in a press statement signed and issued by the leader of the civil society/NGO in the state, Chief Ben Usang, questioning why the governor did not appoint at least a special adviser despite the fact that the state has the Department of Civil Society/NGO, created during the administration of former Governor Imoke.

Governor Otu on Monday, July 8, 2024 appointed at least 212 people to his government, raising questions about whether he has followed the path of his predecessor Ben Ayade.

Leader Ben, who is also a development facilitator, human dignity advocate, social justice activist and public affairs commentator, believes that “it obviously indicates that there is no interest or priority on the part of the government” to interact effectively with civil society and NGOs, contrary to the requirements of many development partners who support the State in their budgetary provisions.

He said his administration can better harness the needs, expectations and opinions of ordinary citizens, CSOs and NGOs for the success of his administration and an upward trajectory in the development of the State.

The statement reads: “Recently, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator (Prince) Bassey Edet Otu, made another series of appointments into key positions in the state government. Obviously, the appointments were made to fill existing vacancies and perhaps to strengthen the machinery of governance in the state.

“While my personal view is that it has become very imperative for all strata of our nation’s government to deliberately reduce the cost of governance, at this time of economic challenges, by minimizing the number of political appointments and instead prioritizing filling vacancies in the state’s civil/public service, I do, however, take issue with the wisdom and love for the state attributed to the Governor for his decision to further expand the size of his government with this latest tranche of appointments he has just made. I now hope that the appointments will translate into INCREASED QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT centered on the paramount interest of the people of the state.

“Having said the above, I must highlight here that the Governor in this latest appointment once again failed to appoint a Special Adviser on Civil Society/NGOs, a fact which I suppose could simply be an inadvertent oversight on the part of the Governor or as a result of the Governor not realising the existence of a Department for Civil Society/NGOs in the state.

“The Civil Society/NGO Department was established during the administration of former Governor Imoke. It has since had several special advisers, starting with Mrs. Margaret Ebokpo, a seasoned NGO practitioner with expertise in women’s rights and political participation.

“From the outset, the Civil Society/NGO Department emerged as a pivotal agency of the Government in coordinating Civil Society/NGO activities in the State, especially with regard to engagements with the Government and at multi-stakeholder forums organised by the Government and other Government partners including international development partners seeking to consult non-state actors or fund their activities in the State. The department was also vital in registering Civil Society Organisations and Self-Help Groups, facilitating capacity building for them among other vital services to the third sector. Within that period, discussions commenced and the way forward on the creation of a single registry for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the State, taxation as it relates to CSOs, Civil Society Commission, increasing women political participation, electoral reforms and many other policy issues that were of interest to many of the CSOs working or operating in the State.

“During the tenure of former Governor Ayade, the activities and relevance of the Department were sustained. The then Governor appointed a special adviser to the Department, as his predecessor did, and even appointed special assistants to work with the advisers. Among the many achievements of the Department at that time include the joint organization and celebration of the International NGO Day with some civil society organizations and the participation of CSO representatives in important state functions, engagements with donors and development of public policies through the facilitation of the Department.

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“Despite the above, more than a year into the current administration led by Prince Bassey Edet Otu, no Political Head has been appointed for the Department, which obviously indicates that the government has no interest or priority in engaging effectively with civil society and NGOs, contrary to the requirements of many development partners who support the State in their budgetary provisions. The scenario has created a huge vacuum resulting in a lack of coordination of voluntary sector policies and programmes at government level using a sustainable framework that leads to positive outcomes.

“At this point, it is instructive to note that while some civil society actors in the State, including myself, have adopted a recommendation for the establishment of a legislation-backed Commission for Civil Society and NGOs, which will transform the department into a Commission and thus be headed by a Chairperson of the Commission assisted by members of the Commission, we nevertheless still believe that it is necessary, for now, that a Special Adviser be appointed to the Department as it currently exists, subject to when a Commission will come to replace the Department following the Governor’s approval of the enabling legislation. In order to realise our objective of a Commission, the Special Adviser will be instrumental in functioning as a liaison between CSOs and the Government, so that we can arrive at provisions in the legislation that are acceptable to all stakeholders within a meaningful and realistic time frame.

“It is imperative to note that during the just concluded South-South Regional Conference on Improving Regulatory Environment for CSO Operations in Nigeria held on June 27, 2024 in Calabar, civil society actors called for an executive legislative mechanism for the State to improve the regulatory and development environment for CSO operations at the state level, in line with the constitutional provisions and precedents that exist in other states in the country, especially Benue State which has a law for voluntary sector activities which was upheld as valid in a Court of Appeal judgment.

“In this regard, I call on the State Governor, who is pro-people in his mantra, to immediately appoint a Special Adviser on Civil Society/NGOs so that his administration can better harness the needs, expectations and opinions of the common citizens and Civil Society Organisations, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), for the success of the administration and an upward trajectory in the development of the State and give the State a positive image among the international development community.”