Douglas Blessing
Civil Society Organisations has called on the Rivers state government to Jettison a bill before the State House of Assembly, seeking to regulate their activities as well as sources of funding in the State.
The coalition of the 23 civil society organizations made the call yesterday, in in a joint statement issued in Port Harcourt, after a roundtable on the proposed bill.
They also accused the Rivers State government of attempting to stifle the civic space and restrict basic freedoms.
Recalled that a nongovernmental organizations (NGO) Registration Bill titled: “A Bill To Harmonise Rivers State CSOs Registrations, In Relation To Modernizing Such Laws To Align With Current Practices, Streamlining Procedures, And Eliminating Unnecessary Registration Burdens”, was sponsored by member representing Asari-Toru Constituency 2 in the House of Assembly.
In the joint statement, read before journalists in Port Harcourt, by the Executive Director of We The People, Ken Henshaw, said several aspects of the proposed law pose a serious threat to the existence and free operation of CSOs in Rivers State.
Henshaw said: “The Bill does not provide any process of engagement with the affected organizations before removal. It places sole and arbitrary powers on the Registry. Organizations who believe they have been wrongly treated are advised in Section 57 to seek redress in court. The CSO is first removed and then directed to the court to seek redress.
“The above and several other aspects of the proposed law pose a serious threat to the existence and free operation of CSOs in Rivers State. If passed into Law, the Bill will only serve the purpose of stifling dissent, intimidating civil society organizations and curtailing the civic space. We are equally concerned that if this Bill passes in Rivers state, it could become a new trend in other states.
“It is also important to note that the combined reading of Section. 4(2) of the Constitution of Nigeria and ITEM 32 of the second schedule to the Constitution is to the effect that matters of incorporation, regulation, and winding up are in the Exclusive list which only the National House of Assembly can legislate on.
“For this reason, efforts by the State House of Assembly to pass a law that regulate civil society organizations in Rivers State is unconstitutional and ultra vires, and must be resisted.
“As civil society organizations in Nigeria, we totally condemn this Bill and call upon the Rivers State House of Assembly to immediately jettison it.”
