The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, joined stakeholders on Wednesday in opposing the Non-Governmental Organisations Bill at the National Assembly. The House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society is holding a public hearing on the bill. The bill, which seeks to supervise, monitor and coordinate the activities of civil society organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs), has been condemned by many Nigerians.
Kukah observed that much as the bill might appear to have good intentions, Nigeria did not need it. He stated this while advocating against the passage of the bill that “We have a country enough laws already tocover every sphere of the country.
“The intentions of the bill may be right but we should channel our energy to other things”, he told the session. The NGO regulatory bill has not received any form of support from the public during the hearing.
Chidi Odikalu, former chairman of the Nigerian Human Right Commission and one of the lead campaigners against the bill, had described the bill as “totalitarian.”
At the end of the hearing, Peter Akpatason, chairman of the committee, said it will ensure submissions of the various NGOs are “well represented.”
He said: “We are your partners and our responsibility is to provide enabling environment and right platform for the CSOs to participate in the process of governance.
“We do not have the final say over this bill but I want to assure you that we will make our recommendations based on all you have said here and you will be pleased with our recommendations.”
