Eromosele Ebhomele
AbdulLateef AbdulHakeem
Commissioner for Home Affairs of Lagos State, Nigeria, AbdulLateef AbdulHakeem, has said government needed to fund the activities of civil society organisations for the latter to effectively play its role in the governance of the country.
He particularly said the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, would gladly want an interface with civil society organisations at intervals.
AbdulHakeem, who was speaking at the inaugural meeting of Lagos state Office of Civic Engagement with civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations in Ikeja, stressed: “there must be a conscious effort of the government in the country to fund the activities of civil society as a way of strengthening them.”
He regarded the civil society as the most virile arm of government since civil society organisations monitor and carry out oversight on all arms of government.
According to him, the recognition of this role is the reason the government came up with the Office for Civic Engagements as well as the meeting.
He said: “no arm of government is as virile as the civil society when it comes to checks and balances. Civic engagement is the laison office between the legislature and executive.
“Civil society is to limit and control the power of the state and also perform oversight on the three arms of government.
“Governments must therefore empower civil society to these roles effectively. Civil society is the organ of government above every other organ.”
He said Nigeria must be made to work and recalled how Donald Trump, a presidential aspirant in the United States of America, USA, recently mocked Nigeria and its citizens and even threatened to evict all Nigerians if made the president of the country.
He called on the civil society to stand behind the anti-corruption campaign of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to make Nigeria a better place.
He further charged the civil society groups …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
