Reps reject bill to regulate CSOs

Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The bill sponsored by Tajudeen Abbas was intended to establish ” a Civil Society Regulatory Commission for Coordinated Regulation of Civil Society Organisations for the purposes of strengthening their capacities to promote democracy and development in the country. “

However, following opposition to the bill, Tajudeen applied for the leave of the House to step it down, saying that the intention of the proposed legislation was misunderstood by his colleagues.

Earlier, the lawmaker, in his lead debate, had stated that there was a need for a commission to regulate the activities of CSOs in the country.

He argued that though the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990 requires CSOs to be incorporated either as incorporated trustees or company limited by guarantee, there are several organisation purporting to be CSOs that are not neither registered under  CAMA nor any other law.

According to him,”there are usually funded by donations and exempted from paying taxes. The number of NGOs in Nigerian cannot actually be ascertained, but they are many. The relationship between the government and civil society has become complex.

“Why there are many reasons for the development. There are concerns about the absence of a regulatory framework that can accommodate a much more diverse and expended civil society organisations, network. CAMA requires CSOs to be incorporated either as incorporated trustees or company limited by guarantee.

“There are so many organisation that are projecting themselves or operating  as civil society organisations that are not incorporated under this law or any other law. There is no establishment created by law to monitor and regulate even the activities of the civil organisations, which are incorporated. It is this deficiencies that this bill seeks to address. The establishment of regulatory commission is long overdue.”

Regardless, Bamidele Salam, in his contribution, said the bill is an attempt to stifle freedom of expression and assembly and appealed to the House not to allow the bill go for a second reading.

Besides, Salam noted that it is not expedient for the parliament to be establishing new agencies, at a time, when citizens are advocating reduction in the cost of governance.

“We are trying to muzzle free expression of critical views of government and institutions. I don’t believe we should do anything that will lay credence to that view rightly or wrongly. I want to plead with this house, this is not a bill we should  allowed to be read for the second time. It will infringe on the principals that we have already established that Nigerians should not have multiple laws trying to infringe on the rights guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution which we have all swore to uphold,” he stated.

In their separate contributions, Julius Ihonvbere and Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, equally opposed the bill, stating that it will not do the country any good.

According to Nkem-Abonta, “this bill nis coming at a time that is dangerous. This bill will bring more confusion. The problem of Nigerians are not civil societies. Rather we need civil society to move….”