By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
At a time when the credibility of civil society organisations is increasingly being measured by their capacity to influence public policy, defend vulnerable communities and hold government accountable, a leading environmental justice advocate, Barrister Chima Williams, has challenged civil society organisations (CSOs) in Ebonyi State to move beyond the pursuit of donor funding and reclaim their historic responsibility as independent watchdogs of society.
Williams, Executive Director of the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and recipient of the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa, delivered the challenge at the 2026 Summit of the Ebonyi Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (EBCSOS), held at Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, Abakaliki.
His message was both a charge and a sobering assessment of the state of civil society in Nigeria: organisations established to defend citizens, promote social justice, influence public policies and demand accountability must not gradually transform into grant-dependent institutions whose priorities are determined more by donor interests than by the needs of the communities they claim to represent.
The summit, which had the theme, “Repositioning Ebonyi Civil Society Organisations for Greater Impact: Reinventing Resilience,” brought together civil society actors, development practitioners, community representatives and other stakeholders to examine the challenges confronting the sector and explore pathways towards stronger institutional capacity, effective advocacy and sustainable development interventions.
For Williams, the question confronting civil society organisations is no longer simply whether they are registered, funded or actively implementing projects. It is whether their existence translates into measurable improvements in people's lives and whether they possess the courage and institutional independence to challenge injustice, irrespective of who is responsible.
He argued that the growing number of organisations, workshops, advocacy statements and project activities across the country had not necessarily translated into corresponding improvements in institutional accountability, community development and policy outcomes.
“We have more organisations than we have functioning institutions. We have more workshops than sustained community interventions. We have more advocacy statements than policy outcomes. We have more project activities than measurable social transformation. We have more organisational competition than strategic collaboration,” he declared.
The statement captured the central concern of his keynote address: that the civil society space risks losing its transformative character if organisations become more concerned with securing grants and maintaining donor relationships than confronting the structural problems affecting ordinary citizens.
Although donor funding remains an important source of support for development interventions, Williams cautioned that financial dependence must not compromise the independence, integrity and public-interest mandate of civil society organisations.
He maintained that funding should serve as an instrument for advancing social change rather than becoming the principal reason for the existence of organisations.
According to him, the ability of CSOs to question government policies, expose wrongdoing, defend human rights and demand institutional reforms must remain intact, regardless of their sources of funding.
“The source of our funding must never become the source of our conscience,” he warned.
The statement underscores a critical dilemma within the development sector, where organisations are often required to align their programmes with donor priorities, demonstrate measurable outcomes and satisfy extensive reporting requirements to remain eligible for financial support.
While such accountability mechanisms are necessary for responsible fund management, the danger, Williams suggested, arises when organisations abandon locally identified priorities or become reluctant to challenge powerful interests for fear of jeopardising their funding relationships.
He therefore urged Ebonyi CSOs to develop alternative funding mechanisms, strengthen their internal structures and build relationships with communities, businesses, philanthropic institutions and other stakeholders without surrendering their independence.
His position was not a rejection of donor support but a call for a more balanced funding architecture in which organisations retain control over their values, programmes and advocacy priorities.
To reinforce his argument, the EDEN boss drew attention to findings from a 2026 report titled “Trapped in Fragility: An Assessment of the Civil Society Landscape in Nigeria.”
The assessment, commissioned by the West Africa Civil Society Institute's NODE Nigeria and led by the Nigeria Network of NGOs, examined the operational conditions of 693 civil society organisations across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.
According to the findings presented by Williams, approximately 86 per cent of the surveyed organisations lacked written fundraising plans, while 76.3 per cent had not conducted formal programme evaluations within the preceding two years.
The figures raise important questions about the institutional preparedness, financial sustainability and accountability mechanisms of organisations expected to influence governance and promote development.
For a sector whose legitimacy depends significantly on its ability to provide credible evidence, demonstrate results and represent community interests, the absence of structured fundraising strategies and regular programme evaluations could undermine its effectiveness.
Fundraising plans, for instance, are not merely administrative documents. They provide organisations with a framework for identifying potential funding sources, diversifying revenue streams, anticipating financial risks and reducing excessive dependence on individual donors.
Similarly, programme evaluation enables organisations to determine whether their interventions are achieving intended objectives, identify implementation gaps and establish whether resources are producing measurable benefits.
Without these mechanisms, Williams implied, organisations may remain trapped in cycles of short-term projects without developing the institutional capacity required for sustained social transformation.
The challenge, therefore, is to move from activity-based reporting to impact-driven development, where the success of an organisation is measured not by the number of workshops conducted or grants received but by the tangible difference its interventions make in people's lives.
Beyond institutional weaknesses, Williams devoted considerable attention to what he described as the fundamental responsibility of civil society organisations in a democratic society.
He maintained that CSOs must not become praise singers of government or permanent adversaries of public institutions. Rather, their relationship with government should be guided by evidence, public interest and the pursuit of accountable governance.
“We should commend what is right, question what is wrong, expose what is hidden and demand corrective action where necessary. We must not become praise singers. Neither should we become permanent adversaries,” he said.
The position reflects the delicate but indispensable role of civil society in democratic governance.
While elected governments possess constitutional authority to formulate and implement policies, citizens and their representative organisations have a legitimate responsibility to scrutinise public decisions, monitor the use of public resources and demand explanations where governance falls short of established standards.
In this regard, civil society organisations serve as a bridge between citizens and public institutions, particularly for communities whose concerns may otherwise remain outside the mainstream policy conversation. Their responsibilities include monitoring public expenditure, promoting transparency, defending fundamental rights, exposing environmental violations, advocating inclusive policies and ensuring that public institutions remain responsive to the people.
Williams' intervention was particularly significant for Ebonyi, where the effectiveness of civil society engagement could influence conversations around public infrastructure, education, healthcare, environmental protection, social inclusion and the management of public resources.
For the watchdog function to remain credible, however, advocacy must be grounded in verifiable evidence rather than political sentiments, personal grievances or partisan considerations.
The credibility of a civil society organisation, therefore, depends not only on its willingness to criticise government but also on its readiness to acknowledge positive interventions and offer constructive alternatives where policy failures are identified.
The summit also provided an opportunity for the Ebonyi Coalition of Civil Society Organisations to take stock of its journey, assess its contributions and identify the institutional challenges limiting its capacity.
In her welcome address, the coalition's Co-Chair, Chief Mrs Ugo Nnachi, described the gathering as a defining moment for civil society and development governance in the state. She acknowledged the importance of the summit in bringing stakeholders together to reflect on the responsibilities of CSOs and explore strategies for strengthening their collective impact.
Nnachi also commended Williams for honouring the invitation and attending the summit physically, describing his presence and professional experience as valuable contributions to the coalition's efforts at institutional repositioning.
Her remarks reflected the coalition's determination to use the gathering not merely as another development-sector event but as an opportunity to renew its commitment to meaningful engagement, collaboration and accountability.
For a coalition whose relevance depends on the strength of its constituent organisations, the task of building a common platform for advocacy and collective action remains particularly important.
The absence of effective coordination among organisations working in similar areas can lead to duplication of efforts, competition for limited resources and fragmented advocacy.
A functional coalition, on the other hand, can aggregate community concerns, strengthen the negotiating capacity of member organisations and provide a more coordinated voice in engagements with government and development partners.
Providing an account of the coalition's activities, its Co-Chair, Dr Kelechukwu Okezie, disclosed that EBCSOS was inaugurated in 2023 and currently had 72 registered civil society organisations as members.
He said member organisations had collectively implemented more than 200 projects across different sectors since the coalition's establishment, with interventions covering education, healthcare, women and youth empowerment, legal aid, access to justice, prevention of gender-based violence, budget monitoring, tree planting, environmental protection and waste management.
According to him, the coalition and its member organisations had attracted more than N200 million in funding and created employment opportunities for over 200 youths through their various development initiatives.
The figures provide an indication of the contribution of local civil society organisations to development activities in Ebonyi, particularly in areas where government interventions require complementary community-based efforts.
However, Okezie acknowledged that the coalition continued to face considerable operational challenges, including inadequate funding, limited institutional support and insufficient capacity among some organisations to develop competitive, fundable project proposals.
He also identified stringent donor eligibility requirements and regulatory compliance obligations as major obstacles confronting local organisations seeking financial support.
The situation reflects a wider challenge within Nigeria's development sector, where grassroots organisations are often expected to compete for funding with larger, more established institutions possessing stronger administrative structures, extensive technical capacity and longer donor relationships.
Although local organisations frequently maintain closer relationships with the communities they serve, their limited resources and institutional constraints can prevent them from accessing funding opportunities on competitive terms.
Okezie consequently appealed to the Ebonyi State Government, local government authorities and development partners to provide greater support for indigenous civil society organisations.
He stressed the need for donors to pay closer attention to local organisations, whose familiarity with community realities places them in a strategic position to identify development needs and implement interventions that respond directly to those needs.
His appeal raises an important policy question: how can development financing become more accessible to credible grassroots organisations without weakening transparency, accountability and institutional standards?
For the coalition, addressing this challenge will require deliberate investments in organisational development, financial management, proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation, governance structures and compliance systems.
A central message of Williams' keynote was that resilience must not be reduced to the ability of organisations to survive difficult circumstances.
He argued that genuine resilience should involve building institutions capable of confronting the conditions that make social intervention necessary in the first place.
“Resilience must be about transforming the conditions that make survival necessary, not simply developing the capacity to endure injustice,” he said.
The distinction is important. An organisation may continue operating for years, organise periodic activities and maintain its registration status without necessarily contributing meaningfully to the transformation of its operating environment.
For Williams, the true test of resilience lies in the ability of civil society organisations to build sustainable institutions, influence public decisions, mobilise communities and protect civic freedoms, even when confronted with financial constraints or political pressure.
He outlined five critical pillars for repositioning the sector: institutional resilience; collective advocacy and solidarity; community-driven development and accountability; protection of civic space and human rights defenders; and financial and programmatic sustainability.
The pillars provide a framework for organisations seeking to move away from fragmented interventions towards a more coordinated and impact-oriented model of operation.
Institutional resilience requires organisations to develop clear governance structures, transparent financial management systems, succession plans and effective internal controls.
Collective advocacy demands stronger networks, strategic partnerships and a willingness among organisations to place shared public interests above institutional rivalry.
Community-driven development, meanwhile, requires CSOs to involve beneficiaries in identifying priorities, designing interventions, implementing programmes and assessing outcomes.
The protection of civic space is equally important, particularly as human rights defenders, journalists, environmental activists and community advocates may encounter intimidation, threats or other forms of pressure in the course of their work.
Financial and programmatic sustainability, the fifth pillar, requires organisations to diversify funding sources, strengthen project management and establish measurable long-term objectives.
Williams further recommended that Ebonyi CSOs adopt a three-year strategic framework with clearly defined annual targets, measurable indicators and periodic independent reviews to assess progress.
Such a framework, if properly implemented, could provide the coalition with a practical roadmap for evaluating its performance and ensuring that its interventions remain aligned with the needs of the people.
The need for stronger collaboration also featured prominently in the summit's discussions.
Chief Chima Ajah, Executive Director of DIG Foundation, advocated greater synergy between individual civil society networks and the broader coalition, stressing the importance of inclusiveness and collective engagement.
He also presented citizen accountability reports, including the 2025 Auditor-General's report, as part of efforts to promote public awareness and strengthen citizens' capacity to interrogate governance processes.
The presentation reinforced the argument that civil society organisations must go beyond issuing statements and organising public events to engage with verifiable public records and use available evidence to demand accountability.
Budget documents, audit reports, procurement records and project implementation data, for instance, can provide credible foundations for advocacy and help citizens understand how public resources are allocated and utilised.
For civil society to influence governance meaningfully, such information must be translated into accessible public conversations that enable communities to understand their rights and responsibilities.
The challenge is particularly important at the grassroots, where citizens may have limited access to government records or lack the technical knowledge required to interpret public expenditure documents.
By building stronger partnerships with professional bodies, community associations, media organisations and research institutions, CSOs can improve the quality of their advocacy and expand the reach of their interventions.
Environmental protection and community responsibility also emerged as significant issues during the summit.
Ambassador Enene Akonjon challenged residents to take greater responsibility for sanitation, waste management and environmental protection, arguing that environmental sustainability should not be treated exclusively as the responsibility of the governor or government institutions in any state.
He maintained that citizens must recognise their role in maintaining clean communities and protecting the environment, rather than leaving every aspect of environmental management to public authorities.
Akonjon also drew attention to the economic value of waste, suggesting that materials commonly discarded as refuse could be recovered, recycled or converted into useful resources. His intervention broadened the conversation on environmental sustainability beyond government regulation and enforcement to include community participation, behavioural change and the development of opportunities within the waste-management value chain.
For Ebonyi, where environmental challenges can affect public health, livelihoods and community development, the message highlights the importance of sustained public education and coordinated action.
Civil society organisations working in environmental advocacy can play a critical role in promoting responsible waste disposal, monitoring environmental violations, encouraging recycling and ensuring that communities understand the consequences of environmental degradation.
The issue also aligns with Williams' emphasis on community-driven development and the need for civil society organisations to connect advocacy with practical solutions.
Beyond funding: Building a credible civil society
Goodwill messages at the summit further reinforced the need for stronger leadership, unity and institutional commitment within the sector. Chief Francis Oriji commended the leadership and followership of the coalition, stressing that repositioning should be regarded as a continuous process rather than a one-off exercise.
Other contributions highlighted the importance of peaceful coexistence, religious tolerance, unity and the need to discourage political and electoral violence. These issues are central to the work of civil society organisations, particularly in a democratic environment where citizens must be able to express divergent opinions, participate in public affairs and hold political actors accountable without fear.
A spoken-word presentation, “Let Love Lead,” by Ebuka Omojiko, a law student and member of the Youth and Human Rights Initiative, also added a message of peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding to the proceedings. Taken together, the discussions demonstrated that the challenges confronting civil society organisations extend beyond financial constraints. They include questions of institutional credibility, leadership, accountability, community legitimacy, civic freedoms and the capacity to translate advocacy into measurable outcomes.
The 2026 EBCSOS summit has placed an important responsibility before the coalition and its constituent organisations to translate the conversations and recommendations into a practical programme of institutional reform.
The first test will be whether member organisations can develop and implement a shared strategic framework that clearly identifies priorities, responsibilities, timelines and measurable indicators of success. The coalition must also strengthen its internal accountability mechanisms, promote regular assessments of member organisations and encourage collaboration across thematic areas.
Its reported achievements in project implementation, funding mobilisation and youth employment provide a foundation upon which further progress can be built. However, the figures will carry greater significance if they are supported by transparent records, independent assessments and evidence of lasting benefits to the communities concerned.
Similarly, the appeal for government and donor support must be matched by a commitment among local organisations to improve their governance systems, financial transparency and programme management capacity.
For the Ebonyi State Government, the summit presents an opportunity to strengthen engagement with credible civil society actors as development partners and independent accountability institutions.
Constructive collaboration should not be mistaken for the surrender of independence. Equally, the watchdog mandate should not be interpreted as hostility towards government. A mature relationship between public institutions and civil society should accommodate cooperation, constructive criticism and evidence-based scrutiny.
Ultimately, the strength of a civil society organisation cannot be determined solely by the volume of grants it receives, the number of projects it implements or the frequency of its public engagements. Its relevance must be measured by the extent to which it protects citizens' rights, improves public accountability, influences policies and contributes to lasting social change.
Williams' challenge, therefore, goes beyond the immediate concerns of Ebonyi's civil society community. It speaks to a broader national conversation about the future of development organisations and their place in democratic governance.
The question is whether civil society organisations will remain content with administering donor-funded projects or embrace the more demanding responsibility of confronting injustice, strengthening institutions and defending the public interest.
For Ebonyi's 72-member coalition, the summit has provided an opportunity to redefine its priorities and demonstrate that its collective strength can translate into measurable development outcomes.
The real measure of success, however, will not be the speeches delivered at Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort or the resolutions adopted at the end of the gathering. It will be the extent to which the organisations return to their communities with renewed independence, stronger institutions, more effective advocacy and a demonstrable commitment to improving the lives of the people they represent.
As Williams' message made clear, civil society must never allow the pursuit of grants to overshadow the pursuit of justice. Its ultimate responsibility is not to please its funders or political authorities, but to remain accountable to the people whose rights, welfare and future it exists to defend.
