30 CSOs Tell Senate to Drop Foreign Aid Bill, Citing Excessive NGO Penalties
A coalition of 30 civil society organisations has called on the Senate to pull the Foreign Aid (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, 2026, arguing that the penalties it proposes for non-governmental organisations are disproportionate. The demand was made during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Among the groups are Yiaga Africa, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Gatefield, BudgIT, SERAP, CLEEN Foundation and Enough is Enough Nigeria.
Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is the sponsor of the bill, which is designed to oversee and track how NGOs and CSOs operate and where their funding comes from. It has cleared first and second reading and has been sent to the Senate Committee on Civil Society and Development Partners for additional legislative work. The proposal was first brought forward in 2016 by the late Hon. Umar Buba Jibril.
The CSOs said the bill's return and its movement through the Senate have stirred fears about the fate of civic activity and independent organisations in Nigeria.
Odeh Friday, Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, read the joint statement and said the legislation would place needless burdens on groups that assist Nigerians.
"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," Odeh said.
He added, "The government did not provide welfare. It cannot ban our charity."
According to Odeh, the proposed law does not contain sufficient protections against misuse of regulatory authority.
"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," he stated.
He also raised questions about a clause that would require foreign aid to secure official approval and be in line with government goals.
"We wonder what this means for essential work that demands government accountability or investigates high-profile corruption," Odeh said.
The groups also took issue with the proposed sanctions, especially those that could suspend or cancel an organisation's operational licence. They pointed out that Nigerian NGOs typically operate through registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission rather than through conventional licences. In their view, revocation could amount to deregistration and stop an organisation from functioning.
The CSOs further criticised what they called selective transparency rules aimed at foreign-funded organisations.
"The central defect in SB. 1034 is not that it demands transparency, but it demands transparency selectively," the statement read.
They argued that similar disclosure rules should apply to domestic political donations, foundations tied to public office holders and organisations connected to political figures. They also asked whether a N5m grant to a community organisation truly represents the major corruption and election-finance risk facing Nigeria.
Abdulrahman Adebayo, Strategic Lead, Democracy, Rights and Public Sector at Gatefield, also spoke. He said existing government systems could be reinforced rather than creating a new regulatory structure.
Adebayo noted that the government had pledged to record development cooperation flows on the national budget, with quarterly breakdowns, by the 2027 fiscal cycle. He said enlarging the existing dashboard and connecting it to the budget process would boost transparency without putting independent organisations under a punitive commission.
"The proposed National Foreign Aid Register fills no regulatory vacuum," Adebayo said.
"On the public side, it duplicates the Dashboard, and on the recipient side, it duplicates CAMA, the FRC Act and the SCUML regime."
He observed that government agencies already have enforcement powers under current laws. Adebayo cited Section 839 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, which allows the CAC to suspend trustees and appoint interim managers in certain situations. He also cited Section 56 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, which grants powers over the registration of non-profit organisations under specified circumstances.
Mojirayo Ogunlana, Executive Director of DigiCivic Initiative, described the proposed penalties as another serious issue. She said individuals could face up to five years in prison and a minimum fine of N5m for failing to register, making inaccurate disclosures or obstructing the proposed commission.
"Organisations face a minimum fine of N20m and the suspension or revocation of their operational licence," Ogunlana said.
The CSOs asked the Senate to halt further deliberation on the bill and remove it from the legislative process. They also called on Nigerians, religious leaders, diaspora groups, student unions and market associations to resist measures they said could limit civic participation.
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