By Ahmed Ahmed
Bauchi State Network of Civil Society Organizations (BASNEC) in the state has distanced itself from a letter purportedly written by a coalition of CSOs commending the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecuting the state Governor-elect Bala Mohammad.
It would be recalled that the Coordinator, Bauchi Civil Society Organization Network, Mr Mohammed Hussein, issued statement hailing the EFCC for the speedy trial and prosecution of the governor elect that was published in some newspapers and online in Abuja.
The BASNEC state secretary Comrade Sadiq Sadiq who denied the publication in a press conference in Bauchi on Tuesday, explained that Civil Society Organizations in Bauchi state are registered under one umbrella with the name ‘Bauchi state Network of Civil Society Organizations’ (BASNEC) not Bauchi Civil Society Network as claimed by the authors of that letter.
He said the organizations under BASNEC are non partisan, non religious, non governmental and tribal formed with the objective of advocating and creating awareness towards addressing socio-economic issues that will bring about sustainable development in the state.
” Civil Society Organizations within the network therefore, hereby condemn any action that will claim its Name by unknown persons or organization”.
” The Network hereby, use this medium to call on all relevant authorities to be verifying identities of dubious persons or organizations that have wrong intentions of claiming to be what they are not”. He said.
According to him, BASNEC recognizes only the following civil society organizations in the state namely, Association of OVC Organization in Nigeria (AOON), Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and Civil Society Sealing Up Nutrition in Nigeria.
Others are, Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), Good Governance Initiative Coalition (GGIC), Young Leaders Network (YLN) and Civil Society Working on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.