By Ken Afor
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday stepped down the controversial bill that sought to regulate Non-governmental Organizations, (NGOs) including churches and mosques.
The Speaker stepped down the bill due to its sensitivity and asked for it to be circulated to members for careful study before further actions can be taken. He noted that the debate on the bill would continue next Thursday.
The bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organizations Agency for the Promotion of Social Development Activities in Nigeria and for Related Matters (HB. 941)” was put on hold following cautions raised by Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State, stating the sensitive nature of it.
According to the lawmaker, who vehemently spoke against it, he queried why churches and mosques, as religious bodies, should be regulated when they are not classified as NGOs.
“It is a very sensitive bill, do churches and mosques fall under NGO that they should be regulated? The House should tread with care and I think it should be stepped down,” he stated.
It would be recalled that in July 2022, Hon. Sada Soli, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Katsina State in the 9th Assembly reintroduced the bill after a similar bill by the late Hon. Umar Buba Jibrin, a former Deputy Majority Leader who represented Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency, was sponsored in 2017. The bill sought to regulate NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
While the bill had passed a second reading and was referred to the Committee on Civil Society Organizations and Development Partners, headed by Hon. Peter Akpatason, APC, Edo State, it was reported that on the day of public hearing, in 2018, some protesters, largely from CSOs, thronged to the National Assembly complex and demanded that the bill be suspended. They viewed the bill as a plot by the government to restrict their activities in the country.
On his part, Hon. Bello Kumo, APC, Gombe State, who spoke in favor of the bill, said that a little adjustment would be needed to protect the religious bodies as they needed to be regulated.
He said, “The bill should guide the activities of the NGOs including our religious bodies, and there should be small adjustments so that the religious bodies can be protected. NGOs should be able to carry out their activities within the guidance of the law”.
