CS News
The Nigeria Network of NGOs, NNGO, has called on Nigerians not to rest their hoarse in the resistance against the bill seeking to regulate the activities of Non-Governmental Organisation, NGOs, in Nigeria.
The group urges NGOs and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, to act on their dissent for the bills by writing their representatives.
A public hearing on the bill, which seeks more government involvement in the registration, activities and accountability of NGOs, was held at the House of Representatives in December.
It was widely criticised and all attendees, including Catholic clerics, former lawmakers, heads of NGOs and CSOs opposed the bill.
The bill after undergoing legislative action is expected to be dropped or mailed to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
Suspecting foul play in the process, Oyebisi Oluseyi, the Executive Director, NNGO, appealed to other NGOs and CSOs to write their representatives at the National Assembly on the need to ‘kill’ the bill.
He made the appeal on Tuesday.
Read the statement of appeal below:
Throughout the years you have supported people in your State to achieve their potentials and provided for the less privileged and hard-to-reach. This confirms the role nonprofits play across the country in enriching community life.
In 2017 our sector was upset by House Bill 585 which seeks to further regulate the work nonprofits do across the country. As a sector, we were unanimous in our call for the Bill “to be killed” at different events and public hearing organised on the Bill.
As the debate on the Bill rages we identified gaps in public and legislative understanding of the ways of working of nonprofits and its economic impact.
It is time to let representatives of your State understand the impact of your work and why a further regulation of the sector is not good for the work we all do. You are the expert in how laws and policies of government affect your organisation, community and actors within the civil society community.
That is why we are asking you to send a letter to your representative today educating him/her about the work of nonprofits.
We have developed the sample letter below for you to adapt. The 24 lawmakers representing your State at the National Assembly are:
And their address at the National Assembly is:
The National Assembly Complex,
Three Arms Zones,
Federal Capital Territory Abuja,
Nigeria.
Please send this letter on your organisational letterhead to them using registered post at the nearest NIPOST in your State. To find the closest post office to you please visit http://www.nipost.gov.ng/
Do let us know when you have acted by sending us a scanned copy of the letter.
It may be that you want us to help you send the letter via post, please send us a copy via an email attachment on your letterhead at nnngo2016@gmail.com and we will print and drop in the post for you.
Thanks for taking this needed action to save our sector.
Sincerely,
Oyebisi B.Oluseyi
Executive Director, Nigeria Network of NGO.
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