The bill seeking to create a regulatory agency to supervise, coordinate and monitor the activities of Non-Govenmental Organisations ( NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs) in the country came to the fore again in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The bill, which is sponsored by the deputy leader of the House, Hon Buba Jubril has been a subject of controversy, with many stakeholders describing it as unnecessary.

At a public hearing organised by the House Committee on CSOs and Development Partners, the stakeholders present re-echoed their opposition to the bill.

According the convener of Situation Room, a coalition of civil society groups, Clement Nwankwo, the “CSOs are particularly worried about the bill because of the possible negative consequences.”

Eminent cleric and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, who was at the public hearing, believes too that the bill should be thrown out.

Kukah said although the bill may seem to have good intentions, the country does not need it. Consequently, he urged the House to channel its energy to other worthwhile issues.

In his words:”The intentions of the bill may be right, but we should channel our energy to other things. I stand with civil societies very firmly and I believe we have enough laws in this country. We are really not in short of laws covering every aspect of our national lives. I think the bill does not appreciate the amount of efforts that had been made to put laws in place.”

I agree totally  with Kukah that the bill is not necessary. That is not to say that NGOs/CSOs are without flaws.

The civil society with all its imperfections, in recent years has contributed immensely to our national life, especially in the struggle for the enthronement of democracy. So, the House should be careful not to do  anything that will weaken the CSOs.

Instead of making a new law to curb perceived excesses of the civil society, the House should encourage relevant agencies to implement existing laws on the NGOs. It is obvious that the challenge confronting the country is not the absence of laws. Virtually, every part of our national life is covered by one law or the order. But whether these laws are implemented is another issue entirely.

Surpringly, not minding the outcry against the bill, which many rightly or wrongly believe will emasculate the NGOs/ CSOs, the House seems determined to push the legislation through.

The bill may be well intended, but the way the House is going about it gives room for suspicion. For instance, at the public hearing by the House Committee on CSOs and Development Partners, headed by Peter Akpatason, attendence was restricted.

Several members of the public, including journalists, who turned up for the hearing were not allowed into the Committee Room by the sergeant- at -arms. One begins to wonder why would attendance be restricted at a public hearing.

I expect the House to channel same enthusiasm with which it is pushing the NGO bill into its oversight functions, particularly in the activities of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). If this is done, the country would be better for it.

Democracy, no doubt, is about the people. In a democracy, lawmakers, who hold power in trust for people, must ensure that popular view prevails at all times, regardless of the personal view of the individual legislator. I agree that popular view may not be the best view; but democracy is about the majority, no matter how nonsensical their views may seem. Anything short of that is dictatorship.

Therefore, in taking a final decision on the NGO regulatory bill, I expect the House to take into consideration the interest of the general public.

Re: Reps and digital switch over debacle

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By Moses Idika

I read your recent write up on the Digital Switch Over (DSO) with delight; and hereby write to particularly applaud the House of Representatives on its recent intervention in the DSO process of the nation’s broadcast framework. There is no doubt that the House Ad-hoc Committee of on DSO did a thorough job worthy of a medal.

Prior to the presentation and adoption of the committee report, Nigerians had been inundated with shocking revelations of the bazaar the process was turned into by those charged with the responsibility of driving it to fruition.

For instance, Tony Dara, a broadcast engineer openly accused one of the signal distributors of installing obsolete equipment including transmitters. The equipment being installed, according to him, had been discontinued by its manufacturers since 2013.

Dara was not alone in the agitation for a probe of the whole process and the right thing to be done; yours sincerely did too.

In addition, an Abuja-based anti-corruption crusader reportedly petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to beam searchlight on the circumstances surrounding the DSO.

Thank goodness that the House eventually rose to the occasion; calling for an investigation into the DSO process that had allegedly been a cesspool of corruption over the years.

Like I noted in my recent article on the issue, Nigerians are indeed tired of long tales from the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture regarding successful switch over and the wonders it would do to the nation’s economy.

It is not enough for the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, to announce that Nigeria would adopt phased implementation, beginning with six states, namely: Enugu in the South East; Kaduna in the North West; Gombe in the North East; Kwara in the North Central; Delta in the South-South and Osun in the South West. What people want is action.

Surprisingly, key operators in the sector are yet to understand the roadmap to the digitization process. In fact, stakeholders at the 68th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja recently called for a clear roadmap on the DSO process.

BON’s Chairman, John Momoh, in his address had expressed worry over what he called disruptive innovations staring broadcasters in the face, such as disparity in licence fees between public and private broadcasters and the implications of the DSO.

According to him, “We are yet to have a roadmap to the implementation of the Digital Switch Over in Nigeria. And we are all in quandary.

Interestingly, the Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Modibbo Kawu at the event, confirmed that the white paper on the DSO was tinkered with by the previous administration for political reasons.

Kawu gave an insight into the rot he met on ground when he disclosed that a certain company was contracted and paid as conditional access provider in October, months before it was even registered as a business entity in Nigeria.

But it must be noted that the only way out of the current conundrum is religious adherence to the government white paper on the DSO.

Nonetheless, I thank you for your incisive article on the issue and believe that with your likes, the matter would not be swept under the carpet.