Following the move by the House of Representatives to pass the NGO regulatory bill, notable Nigerians have cried out against the bill, calling it a threat to the progress of the nation, unnecessary and oppressive.
Executive Director, Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC), Odey Oyema has described the bill as “unnecessary and oppressive”.
Speaking to the Guardian on the proposed bill, Mr. Oyema said:
“This is a democracy. The only thing that qualifies one to operate as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under Part C as a company limited by guarantee. I think that is enough. The instruments that are available under the CAC law and how NGOs can be monitored are very clear. So, I don’t see why the government or the National Assembly should come up with another law on how we should be guided. It does not make sense”
Also commenting on the possibility of there being a hidden agenda in the bill, Oyema is reported to have said:
“I have a problem, particularly when it involves the Church, because the Church itself is being classified as an NGO, which is not correct. Ab-initio it is not correct to classify the Church as an NGO. Is the mosque classified as an NGO as well?” implying that the bill is specifically targeted at churches.
“They are tampering with Christianity and it is a very sensitive matter. It appears they want to use the bill as a smokescreen. We are yet to see their real intentions. They have to be very careful. They should jettison the law because it does not make sense. What we are doing is just complementing government’s effort. So, I don’t see why they want to look for a way to stifle our activities. How can we be compelled to register twice?”
Oyema also advised that the government should focus on issues that are immediately important and pressing and things which require immediate attention instead of fiddling with testy issues such as this.
“There are too many issues to be addressed in this country today and they should stop overheating the polity. There is so much fraud in this country. They should address the issue of budget padding and poor implementation. Our roads are bad and we have been traveling on those roads as they are and we are tired. Let them address those matters and stop chasing shadows.”
Also commenting on the issue, Oby Ezekwesili took to twitter to vent her sore displeasure over the issue. She stated vehemently that the NGO Bill is
“a threat to our voice and freedom” and also tweeted that “The RESTRICTIVE PURPOSE of the #NGOBill CAN NEVER JUSTIFY its “accountability objective”. The REAL motive behind the Bill is EVIDENT.”
Other notable Nigerians who have raised eyebrows over the issue include Femi Fani Kayode who tweeted that
“The NGO Bill is evil. It will cripple churches, mosques and all NGO’s and bring them under govt. control. I advise Nigerians to resist it.”
However the National Assembly, on Tuesday, said it cannot be intimidated into abandoning its legislative duty of providing a platform for Nigerians to agree or disagree on any proposed legislative measure.
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, stated this in his address to welcome lawmakers after the seven-week recess.
