Deputy Majority leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Buba Jibril, has disclosed that the 2010 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Regulation and Co-ordination bill will not affect Mosques, Churches and other religious organizations.
Jibril, who said that the house will pass the bill, insisted it was aimed at forestalling illegal activities of some organisations in the country
He explained that Mosques, Churches, other religious organisations and quasi financial institutions were not affected by the bill because they were not NGOs.
Jibril who made these clarifications in a statement made available to newsmen noted that the bill is to ensure transparency and accountability in administration of NGOs.
He said “Churches, mosques, esusu and market women associations are not affected by the bill. The NGOs bill is primarily to set up a commission to regulate their activities and provide a platform for robust relationships between them and the government for the interest of Nigerians. Recent developments have shown that some people registered NGOs to solicit funds for selfish motives.”
Jibril added that recently, in the northeastern part of the country, some NGOs were reported to have funded activities of insurgents in the country.
“The bill is not peculiar to Nigeria; it exists in many countries, particularly in the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) sub-region, Africa and other continents,” he explained.
“NGOs and Civil Society Organisations are voluntary organisations registered to partner government at all levels to fill gaps wherever they exist. They are supposed to be partners in progress with the government; therefore there is the need for a commission to regulate their operations.
‘In spite of criticisms from some quarters on the bill, Jibril said the bill was justifiable, saying, when the bill is for public hearing, anyone can express views, including corporate bodies and government agencies and the standing committee will do justice to the bill.
“Going on cheap propaganda and blackmail and even calling on world bodies to assist in withdrawing any bill from the National Assembly will not be popular,” he added.
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