The Zonal Civil Society South-East Resilience and Support Group (SERSuG) has decried the exclusion of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the formation of the region’s security outfit.
SERSuG Coordinator, Mr Chris Azor, said in a statement on Tuesday in Awka, that CSOs has a crucial role to play in the security issues within a society.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Governors in the South-East region at a meeting in Owerri on Sunday deliberated on the rising wave of insecurity in the region.
At the end of their meeting, they jointly endorsed the formation of a regional Security Organisation tagged, “Ebube Agu”.
The Governors and Heads of Security Agencies in the region had jointly signed a communique to maintain the joint security outfit.
Azor urged the South-East Governors’ Forum to do the needful by consciously including the CSOs in the formation of the security outfit.
According to him, CSOs can perform a crucial function by bringing citizens, democratic institutions and security agencies together to address security challenges.
“The imperative role of CSOs in security architecture, through peace building, surveillance, information gathering and reporting, early warning as well as sensitisation and partnerships, can not be overemphasised.
“Inclusion, participation and conscious engagement with the organised civil societies and non state actors is a global best practice and imperative for sustainable development.
“We are appealing to the South-East Governors’ Forum to adopt this global best practice by ensuring the inclusion of CSOs.
“We pledge our unalloyed support and readiness to partner with the South-East Governors, the Federal Government, Security agencies and indeed all patriotic stakeholders, in maintaining peaceful co-existence in the polity.” (NAN)
