NGO Regulation bill: A grave danger to Nigeria’s Democracy

The on-going attempt by the National Assembly to pass a law to control and undermine the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be condemned by every Nigerian. In the grand scheme, this NGO Bill will create a government apparatus with ungoverned discretion to determine whether an NGO exists or for how long it will operate based on the dominant political whims of the day. As drafted, it has no place in a democracy and is clearly intended to encourage the excesses of bad government. It also violates Nigeria’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of association, assembly, speech and even of freedom of conscience and religion. It will license unconstitutional discrimination too.

NGOs have been integral to Nigeria’s democratization. Because of the sacrifices and leadership of NGOs in confronting years of military misrule, members of the National Assembly can have the benefits and powers they enjoy today. In those years, soldiers branded NGO activists as anti-government or sponsored by foreign interests to destabilize. Thankfully, these voices remain active in Nigeria today in the difficult task of keeping government in check.

The proposals in this NGO Bill suggest that Nigeria’s Honourable Members and Distinguished Senators desire to bring back to life all the intolerance and high handedness of military rule, by clamping down on voluntary organizations, stifling free speech, restricting other political freedoms and dishonouring the tremendous sacrifices that ordinary Nigerians make to sustain their civic life.

It is already public knowledge that there is an extensive body of legislation governing the activities of NGOs in Nigeria. Nigeria’s problem is not an absence of legislation but with implementing them effectively.

In September 2017, the Nigerian House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society will hold a public hearing on the Bill. Every Nigerian of goodwill should lend their voices in condemning this bill and encourage the National Assembly to withdraw it from consideration. Nothing justifies the consideration or passage of this toxic piece of legislation. Current events in other African countries should remind us of the grave danger posed by the kind of unfettered powers that this Bill seeks to grant government.

Nigeria is going through one of its most difficult times. Nigeria’s democracy is endangered. The executive is operating in disturbing levels of opacity. The reputation of the judiciary remains mired in serious allegations of corruption. Many Nigerians are suffering the consequences of negative economic growth, leading to desperate livelihood conditions. Insecurity afflicts nearly every part of the country in the form of Boko Haram atrocities, inter-communal conflicts, rising kidnappings, massive fatalities from conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, and growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Poor health outcomes and indicators as a result of the continual reduction of life expectancy, increase in the incidence of malnutrition, high rate of maternal and child mortality among others.