Lagos — Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have been offered an opportunity for better involvement in policy formulation and implementation; as well as establish bridges between government and the practitioners.

The offer was made by the Special Adviser to the President on relations with the Civil Society, Mr. Chineme Ume-Ezeoke, who set a new agenda for CSOs to help foster a robust relationship between the groups and government.

According to Ume-Ezeoke's Media Assistant, Mr. Chika Izuora, the new agenda was a product of series of meeting with some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders in the civil society.

Ume-Ezeoke noted that his new vision for collective engagement would broaden government and CSOs' partnership at national and state levels and possibly create new policy dialogues, which would contribute to critical policy objectives.

The Special Adviser noted that his new approach would increase mutual trust and willingness to seek common ground on key issues, engender understanding, better clarity and acknowledgment of issues that tend to divide the government and civil society.

He also stressed the need for the citizens to be actively involved in the execution of the present administration's economic blue print, which revolves around the 7-point agenda.

To actualise this dream, the office of the Special Adviser on Relations with Civil Society intends to release a priority action plan for 2009 with emphasis on complementary engagement of CSOs and stakeholders.

According to the work plan, routine consultation with civil society groups, roundtable on enhancing government-professional body's partnership in the implementation of the 7-point agenda would be aggressively pursued.

Subsequently, similar forum on formalisation on the space of engagement of the CSOs is also included in the specific action plan, with the ultimate aim of ensuring efficient service delivery.

Also a workshop on capacity building that would centre on budget advocacy and sector review activities would be conducted for stakeholders, with a sensitisation engagement of the Niger Delta Youths on capacity building and peace initiative.

Ume-Ezeoke further revealed that a strategic engagement of the media would be organised by the office to prepare practitioners on strategic coverage of CSOs activities in the country.

The Office equally plans a data gathering on CSOs and their activities in Nigeria for the purpose of building a comprehensive data bank for publication in a book.

Other programmes lined up for the year include: stakeholder workshop on tracking public sector transparency and good governance; blue print for monitoring of CSOs-IDPs Facilitated Projects/Programmes; and CSOs driven youth unemployment summit to be organised from the regional to national levels with a view to developing Local Government Action plan on youth empowerment.

Others are: select CSOs-IDPs driven partnership programmes on the environment with selected State Governments; and further gathering of data and review of CSOs activities for the proposed Data Bank/Book publication; which would be rounded up with a Maiden Annual Award of Excellence to distinguished civil society organisations in recognition of their exemplary service to the nation.