The European Union (EU) has expressed concern over the low level of compliance with regulatory laws by civil society organizations (CSOs) in Borno State.

Consequently, it has funded a 2-day workshop organized by the British Council to educate the CSOs on the need to abide by the laws guaranteeing their operations to guard against penalties.

“The workshop is aimed at educating the CSOs in the state to appreciate and comply with the regulatory laws,” Prof Adedeji Adekunle SAN, spokesman for the organizers, explained to newsmen after the opening session of the workshop, held in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

 “The workshop arose from the fact that EU a low level of compliance with the laws by the CSOs,” he explained.

Prof Adekunle lamented that CSOs in Borno State had been breaching the laws with regard to such essentials of their operations as filing returns to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which, he pointed out, could lead to their deregistration.

“We want, at the end of the workshop, to see the participating CSOs complying with such essential regulatory laws, especially with regards to filing returns on their activities and returns on their payment of tax or withholding of tax,” the spokesman explained, adding, “The workshop is also educating them on anti-money laundry.”

He expressed the obligation for all CSOs and corporate bodies to abide by regulatory laws, warning that even ignorance of the law is no excuse for them to breach it.

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