NGO Bill Is Undemocratic, It Must Be Killed, CSOs Insist

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Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have called on the National Assembly to kill the 2010 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Regulation and Co-ordination Bill (NGO bill), which is seeking to establish a commission that would regulate activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country.
Although the lawmakers believe that the bill will help curb alleged corruption among NGOs in the country, however, there has been contention over the bill since it came to public limelight last week, having passed first and second reading in the House of Representatives, with some Nigerians claiming that it is aimed at clamping down on the NGOs.
At a joint meeting with some lawmakers and government officials in Abuja on Saturday, the CSOs, with representatives of some NGOs, described the bill as “unconstitutional, repressive and unfavourable to national development” insisting that it wasn’t necessary as it is a “duplication of duties” of existing governmental agencies such as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The bill is intended to suppress the voices of CSOs engaged in social development across the country by requiring to them to renew their legal identity every 24 months, considering the strategic roles of demanding accountability from government and its officials,” the CSOs said.
“There is nowhere in the world where governmental regulation of NGOs has helped to deepen the operations of NGOs instead it has always muzzled their operations existence.
“Governmental regulation of NGOs is antithetic to open democratic practices anywhere in the world as it appears that the commission will become another governmental NGO police.
“The bill is in breach of section 39 of constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the right for free of association and expression.
“The bill should be stepped down and left to die, as it is retrogressive, repressive and should not be considered. We consider it unfavourable to national development and call on the National Assembly not to act on it.
“Existing governmental regulatory institutions should be strengthened to perform the role they are already mandated to perform. The National Assembly should exercise their oversight function to enable the existing governmental agencies to perform their functions.
“The government should create a conducive environment for the operation of NGOs for effective service delivery in the interest of our teeming population.
“We urge the government not to introduce legislations that could jeopardize the work of NGOs, for the greater good of the country, as we would continue to oppose any restriction to what we consider as key indices of a true democratic state.”
Meanwhile the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Buba Jibril (Kogi-APC), has explained that religious organisations and quasi financial institutions were not affected by the bill because they were not NGOs.
“Churches, Mosques, ESUSU and market women associations are not affected by the bill,” he explained.
“The NGOs bill is primarily to set up a commission to regulate their activities and provide a platform for robust relationships between them and the government for the interest of Nigerians.

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