A research by Thoughts and Mace Advisory, a civil society organization, has identified Polarization, as a challenge in the civil society sector.
At the launch of the policy document on the subject in Abuja on Monday, stakeholders in the sector stressed the need to address Polarization before it undermines the work of civil society organizations.
Correspondent Nasiru Usman reports.
To strengthen social accountability in the Civil Society space, a non governmental organization, Thought and Mace Advisory stated that polarization, though right now at a low level in Nigeria, should be tackled before it becomes an obstacle to realizing the goals of civil society organizations.
The policy document which was launched is titled “Divided we stand, interrogating perceptions of polarisation among CSOs in Nigeria”.
It is a roadmap on how to find out why it is impossible for CSO’s to work together because of how diverse they are and how they contribute to divisions within the sector.
For Civil Society Organisations to achieve their goals in the sector, and have a voice that is unfragmented, the document serves as a roadmap for the CSOs to achieve a common goal at the end of the day.
The Regional Director, West Africa for Ford Foundation, Dr. Chi-Chi Aniagolu commended thoughts and Mace Advisory for doing a great job to conduct research on Polarization among CSOs in Nigeria.
She added that for a change to happen among the CSOs, data is needed to carry out constructive development research.
The programs manager for Thoughts and Mace Advisory, Joy Ekanem Babasola provided a detailed insight to the findings of the research.
A panel discussion followed the presentation of the policy document and research outcome and some of the participants spoke on their impression.
The policy document on Polarization will be similarly launched in Kano, Lagos and Enugu.
Thoughts and Mace Advisory focuses on supporting public institutions to serve their beneficiaries better and address policy and legislative framework that undermine the civil space, innovation and democratic practices.