From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Christian Aid has called for increased participation and leadership of local and national organisations in Nigeria’s emerging humanitarian coordination framework, warning that excluding them could undermine the Federal Government’s “locally driven” agenda.
The Programme Coordinator of Christian Aid, Joseph Demian, made the call on Thursday during a zonal dialogue on Nigeria’s humanitarian reset held in Kaduna.
The one-day event brought together local and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other humanitarian actors to explore ways of building a more nationally owned, locally driven and accountable humanitarian system.
The dialogue is part of the LOCAL SPACE project, which is being implemented in six countries, including Nigeria, and is aimed at strengthening the capacity of local and national actors to participate effectively in humanitarian responses.
Demian said the project had reviewed Nigeria’s National Localisation Framework to assess ongoing efforts relating to the humanitarian reset and ensure that the voices of local and national actors are reflected in government reforms.
He noted that while the North-East has more extensive coverage and awareness of humanitarian issues due to the presence of international organisations, “the North-Central and North-West are not equally on the same page.”
The Kaduna event followed an earlier dialogue in Plateau State and was intended to broaden understanding and gather input from local and national organisations. The contributions will help develop a position paper for engagement with the government on the emerging One Humanitarian–One Poverty Reduction System (OHOPRS) framework.
Demian emphasised that local and national organisations are often the first responders during emergencies and have a better understanding of affected communities.
“They know these communities much better. They know what these people are talking about and what their concerns are,” he said.
He urged the government to provide oversight while ensuring that local and national organisations play meaningful roles in humanitarian coordination.
Mr Ayodele Martins, who facilitates the humanitarian reset for Christian Aid, said the dialogue was organised to examine concerns raised by local and national NGOs and incorporate perspectives from the North-West and North-Central regions into the broader reset framework.
Martins added that the discussions were deliberately held without government participation to allow local organisations to openly express their concerns about government-led humanitarian coordination.
According to him, participants raised concerns about trust, corruption, accountability and the implementation of previous government policies. He noted that the localisation agenda initiated in 2016 had yet to be fully implemented, while several policies remained poorly coordinated.
“Improved coordination and greater trust could make government-led humanitarian financing and coordination more effective,” Martins said.
He added that the zonal dialogues were expected to produce recommendations on government leadership, localisation, financing, coordination and accountability. The recommendations would contribute to a national position paper and future engagements with the Federal Government.
A participant, Mr Femi Johnson, Co-Chair of the Health and Education Service Delivery of the Open Government Partnership in Kaduna, said many civil society organisations had only recently become aware of the National Humanitarian and Localisation Framework.
Johnson expressed concern that although the framework was well-intentioned, its government-led nature could expose it to politicisation and divert attention from the needs of affected communities.
He identified institutional coordination, humanitarian financing, accountability, eligibility and information management as key issues requiring attention.
Johnson also expressed concern over what he described as the lack of equal partnership and decision-making power between the government and civil society organisations, as well as the absence of direct funding channels for local organisations.
“For localisation to work in Nigeria, power, resources and information must genuinely shift to local actors,” Johnson said.
He called for deliberate co-creation of the humanitarian system, with the government and civil society organisations having equal opportunities to participate in decisions concerning humanitarian responses.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
