BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 22, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed, for second reading, a bill seeking to regulate the inflow and acceptance of funds from foreign and local donors by Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country.
By the provision of the bill, voluntary organisations would have to seek approval from the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) before seeking and accepting funds from donors.
Titled “a bill for an act to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of financial/material contribution of donor agencies to voluntary organisation and matters connected therewith, “ it is sponsored by Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe (PDP, Imo).
While leading debate on the bill, Mbadiwe submitted that there was need to vet all funds donated to voluntary organisations in the country by identifying where and the purpose for which they are made.
The lawmaker argued that by vetting foreign donor funds, such NGO’s would have more credibility and thereby improve the international image of the country.
Also supporting the bill, chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (APC, Delta), said there are instances of misuse of donor funds by some NGO’s hence the need for the bill to track the funds and identify erring organisations and apportion punishment appropriately.
Chairman, Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside (PDP, Rivers) and Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nnena Ukeje (PDP, Abia), however cautioned promoters of the bill on its potentials of gagging the civil society.
Others who spoke in favour of the bill were the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta); erstwhile Chairman of Education Committee, Farouk Lawan (PDP, Kano), Lanre Odubote (APC, Lagos), Babatunde Adewale (APC, Lagos), Abubakar Momoh (APC, Edo) and Simon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna).
Meanwhile, Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has declared that the passage of the bill is not an attempt to gag the civil society but an effort aimed at sanitising the operations of non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and government agencies.
While referring the bill to the Committee on Civil Society and Donor Agencies for further legislative action, Tambuwal allayed the fears of the civil society groups that the bill was aimed at gagging them.
“ The House is not making any attempt to gag any NGO. We shall have three full days of public hearing and anybody; group or agency interested in the bill will be given ample opportunity to make contribution,” he said.
By Saint Mugaga, Abuja
