BEVERLY HILLS, September 22, (THEWILL) – Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, has reacted to criticisms trailing the Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, regulation bill, insisting that the proposed law seeks to ensure that funds collected by NGOs and civil society organisations are used for Nigerians.
He stated that the fraudulent activities of some of the NGOs and their other excesses necessitated a law to put them in check, alleging that many NGOs operating in the country do not have definite reason for their existence other than using their names to fleece international donor agencies of huge amount on behalf of Nigeria.
THEWILL recalls that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, had asked three UN special rapporteurs to pressure the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and others National Assembly leaders to withdraw the NGO bill.
It stated that the bill, if signed into law, “would severely curtail the rights of all Nigerians to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association in the country”.
A former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC,
Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, on Thursday launched a campaign against the bill, stating that it would affect religious bodies, humanitarian agencies and even the esusu system in the village.
But in a statement on Friday, Jibril who is the sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is aimed at ensuring that there is transparency and accountability in the way and manner NGOs collect funds, assuring that Churches, Mosques, Esusu, Market Women Associations would not be affected.
He argued that recent developments had shown that some Nigerians had registered NGOs, solicited for funds and vanished with what they got, while some of the organisations had been used to fund the activities of terrorists and insurgents.
The statement reads…
1. Religious bodies and organizations are NOT NGOs
2. Our quasi financial institutions at local levels are NOT NGOs! These organizations have existed for centuries to serve businesses and commerce of our market women and traders.
Now NGOs(Non-Governmental Organizations) and CSOs(Civil Society Organizations) are voluntary organizations that are registered to partner Government at all levels to fill gaps wherever they exist. They are supposed to be partners in progress with the Government; therefore the need for a commission to serve this purpose arises
Secondly and naturally for them to carry out their activities, the NGOs and CSOs solicit for funds from all over the World and collect billions of naira on behalf of Nigerians!
Thirdly they recruit expatriates to help them run their activities in the country with lots of abuses.
Etc etc
However, recent developments have shown that; — Some people registered NGOs, solicited for funds and disappeared. That happened recently in the North East.
— Some NGOs are used to fund the activities of terrorist and insurgents!
Etc etc
The NGOs bill therefore 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 interests of Nigerians.
In addition it is to ensure TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY in the ways and manners the NGOs collect moneys and use them for Nigerians.
The NGOs bill is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. It exists in many countries particularly in the ECOWAS sub- region and all over Africa and other continents. In Europe, Israel passed theirs last year! Kenya has a similar law since 1990!
Nigeria is and should not be a banana republic where anything goes.
Finally, the way the NGOs are reacting to this wonderful and well packaged bill particularly SERAP is not only shameful but condemnable.
The Nigerian parliament is an institution governed by rules and traditions. When a bill is for public hearing you go there and present your views like other interested Nigerians and invited cooperate bodies and government agencies for the standing committee to do justice to the bill. Period!
Going on cheap propaganda and blackmail and even calling on World bodies including the United Nation to help you withdraw a bill from our National Assembly will not help you!
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