The house of representatives has
resolved to investigate all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in
the country.
The lower legislative chamber
made the resolution on Tuesday while debating a motion on Nigeria’s security
challenges.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the speaker,
also hinted that the lawmakers may reintroduce a bill seeking to regulate the
operations of the NGOs.
The controversial bill was
introduced in the last session; it will now have to be debated afresh.
Gbajabiamila said security chiefs
had during a meeting with the house leadership on Monday, complained of the
activities of some of the NGOs identified as “bad eggs”.
“Buba Jubrin in the 8th Assembly
sponsored the NGO bill, and there was a lot of public outcry,” he said.
”But with the revelations from
the meeting with the security chiefs, this time we will invite the NGOs and we
may need to revisit the bill, because we are sure they will not want few rotten
eggs to spoil the whole basket, we will invite them.”
The house also approved a motion
asking relevant committees to “investigate all NGOs in Nigeria to investigate
their total number and source of funding”.
The development comes a few days
after the Nigerian army shut down the operations of Action Against Hunger, one
of the NGOs providing relief for victims of Boko Haram in the north-east.
The army accused the organisation
of providing food for Boko Haram insurgents.
WHAT IS THE NGO BILL?
The NGO Regulatory Commission
Bill seeks to supervise, monitor and coordinate the activities of civil society
organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs),
It has been rejected by many
Nigerians including Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human
Rights Commission and one of the lead campaigners against the bill, who
described it as “totalitarian”.
At a public hearing organised to
deliberate on it last year, none of the civil society organisations and
non-governmental organisations supported it.
Those against the bill have
argued it will be used to stifle the operations of the NGOs, and that necessary
laws have been put in place to regulate the NGOs already.
Yakubu Dogara, former speaker,
had said the bill seeks to “inject transparency, accountability and prevent the
subversion of national security from both within and without”.
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