NAN-H-66
Bill
By Temitope Ponle
Abuja, Oct. 5, 2017 (NAN) Connected Development (CODE), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has urged the Federal Government to strengthen existing institutions that can address concerns of the proposed non-governmental regulation bill presently before the National Assembly.
Mr Hamzat Lawal, the Chief Executive Officer CODE made the call at the organisation’s annual news briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
The bill was sponsored by Mr Umar Jibril, the Deputy House Leader, House of Representatives.
The bill is reportedly aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the collection and disbursement of NGOs’ funds through the establishment of a regulatory agency.
Lawal, however, said that there were existing government agencies that could keep track of how Non Governmental Organisations received and utilised funds from donours.
He added that setting up a regulatory agency would also halter the government’s plans to reduce the cost of governance.
According to him, it will also undermine the aims of democracy.
“The civil society is that group that makes sure there are stronger democratic institutions in a country.
“Rather than debating on a commission that will take more money on recurrent expenditure, the government should strengthen existing ones and provide them with adequate funding to carry on their operations.
“Today, the Corporate Affairs Commission has statistics of registered NGOs; FIRS and the National Assembly constitutionally can access this information and see those that have filed in reports since their existence.
“Besides, the EFCC has a department, Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, where CSOs are required to fill a form to intimate them on how much money they get and how such money is spent.”
He also expressed concern that the agency, if created, could be biased in its operations with some NGOs.
“Let us be practical, this is Nigeria; assuming the commission does not like the work of our initiative, www.followthemoneyng.org for instance, it means that the organisation’s license may be withdrawn without reason,” he said.
The NGO regulatory agency, if established, would be headed by an Executive Secretary and a 17-member Governing Board to be appointed by the President for a five-year tenure.
Its functions would include the issuance of licences to all NGOs which would be renewed every two years and if the agency’s board does not renew an organisation’s license, such organisation would seize to exist.
The agency will grant permission to NGOs to execute projects and they will also regulate how the funds the NGOs receive from donours are spent. (NAN)
TOP/EEE
========
Edited by Ese E. Ekama