Foreign Aid Bill: CSOs raise alarm, seek immediate withdrawal - The Guardian Nigeria News

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), on Wednesday, called on the National Assembly to withdraw the proposed Foreign Aid ‘Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure’ Bill 2026.

The organisations said the proposed legislation, originally introduced in 2016 by the late House of Representatives member, Umar Buba Jibril, had resurfaced despite previous opposition.

The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Odeh Friday, disclosed this in Abuja, said that the bill would impose unnecessary restrictions on organisations supporting vulnerable Nigerians and holding public institutions accountable.

He described the legislation as a threat to civic space, freedom of association and humanitarian solidarity.

The groups, which include Yiaga Africa, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Gatefield, BudgIT, SERAP, CLEEN Foundation and Enough is Enough Nigeria, made the demand at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, seeks to regulate and monitor the operations and funding sources of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations.

It has passed first and second readings and was referred to the Senate Committee on Civil Society and Development Partners for legislative consideration.

Odeh said: “At a time when everyday Nigerians are pulling together to survive unprecedented economic hardship and inflation, the National Assembly is moving aggressively to criminalise local and global solidarity. “The government did not provide welfare. It cannot ban our charity.

“There are no safeguards written into the statute to narrow regulatory powers, judicial appeal, no political-priority test and no discretionary suspension of legitimate civic organisations.”

Odeh argued that the proposed legislation lacked adequate safeguards against abuse of regulatory powers.

He also raised concerns over the requirement that foreign aid must receive official approval and align with government objectives.

He added, “We wonder what this means for essential work that demands government accountability or investigates high-profile corruption. We do not need a licence to care for our communities. We demand a complete withdrawal of this bill.”

The groups urged Nigerians, religious leaders, diaspora networks, student unions and market associations to oppose the bill.

The organisations also faulted the proposed sanctions, particularly the provision allowing the revocation of an organisation’s operational licence.

The CSOs argued that Nigeria already has several mechanisms for regulating non-profit organisations and monitoring their finances, including the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML).

Also speaking, the Strategic Lead, Democracy, Rights and Public Sector at Gatefield, Abdulrahman Adebayo, said the proposed National Foreign Aid Register would duplicate existing regulatory and transparency mechanisms.

He said the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning’s Nigeria Development Cooperation Dashboard, launched in 2024, already provides information on development cooperation flows, including planned and actual disbursements by donor, sector and state.

He argued that expanding the existing development cooperation dashboard and linking it to the budget process would improve transparency without placing independent organisations under a punitive commission.

Adebayo said: “The proposed National Foreign Aid Register fills no regulatory vacuum. On the public side, it duplicates the Dashboard, and on the recipient side, it duplicates CAMA, the FRC Act and the SCUML regime.”

He noted that existing laws already provide enforcement powers to government agencies, citing Section 839 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, which provides powers relating to incorporated trustees.

He also cited Section 56 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, which provides for regulatory action against organisations in specified circumstances.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of DigiCivic Initiative, Mojirayo Ogunlana, described the sanctions as disproportionate, arguing that administrative lapses should not automatically attract severe criminal penalties.

According to her, individuals could face up to five years’ imprisonment and a minimum fine of N5m for failure to register, inaccurate disclosure or obstruction of the proposed commission.

She added that organisations could face a minimum fine of N20m as well as suspension or revocation of their operational licence.

The coalition further criticised what it described as a selective transparency regime that places particular scrutiny on foreign-funded organisations while failing to impose equivalent disclosure requirements on domestic political donations, foundations linked to public office holders and organisations associated with political actors.

The groups argued that if transparency in organisations exercising public influence is the objective, disclosure requirements should apply irrespective of whether funding originates from foreign donors, Nigerian corporations, government agencies or politically connected individuals.

They also urged the National Assembly to consider strengthening existing regulatory mechanisms rather than establishing what they described as a parallel enforcement structure.