BEVERLY HILLS, September 23, (THEWILL) – The lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, on Saturday expressed his opposition to the controversial bill before the National Assembly which seeks to regulate non-governmental organisations, NGOs, operating in the country.
Sponsor of the bill and Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Umar Buba Jibril, had explained on Friday that the proposed law seeks to ensure that funds collected by NGOs and civil society organisations are used for Nigerians.
He explained that 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.
Jibril, who held that the fraudulent activities of some of the NGOs and their other excesses necessitated a law to put them in check, alleged that many organisations 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.
But in a post on his Facebook page, Sani disclosed that the increasing cases of human rights abuses and intolerance to divergent views make it “dangerous” to support the bill.
He based his opposition to the bill on the need to “protect and preserve our fundamental rights to freedom of expression and of assembly”, stressing that it is very clear the law would be abused by people in power.
“The increasing cases of human rights abuses and intolerance to divergent views across the country makes it dangerous to endorse or support any bill aimed at regulating the activities of the NGOs.
“I will stand against this bill to protect and preserve our fundamental rights to freedom of expression and of assembly.
“The tendency of the bill when it becomes law (to) be abused by people in the position of power is clear,” the activist-turned-senator wrote.
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