" ITREALMS: NGO bill debate: Umar Jibril alleges some collected IDPs funds, disappeared

Saturday, September 23, 2017

NGO bill debate: Umar Jibril alleges some collected IDPs funds, disappeared

The Deputy Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Umar Buba Jibril has alleged that Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have collected funds meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East and disappear, reports ITRealms.

This, he said, was a core reason for the introduction of the NGO Regulation Bill before the National Assembly, aside the allegation of sponsoring or financing terrorism in the country.
Jubril, “...Some people registered NGOs, solicited for funds and disappeared. That happened recently in the North East,” just as he said, “...Churches, Mosques, Esusu, Market Women Associations not affected.“

According ot him, religious bodies and organizations are “NOT NGOs” stressing that quasi financial institutions at local levels are not NGOs.

“These organizations have existed for centuries to serve businesses and commerce of our market women and traders.

Pointing out that NGOs and CSOs are voluntary organizations that are registered to partner Government at all levels to fill gaps wherever they exist, thus partners in progress with the Government; hence the need for a commission to serve this purpose arises

“Secondly and naturally for them to carry out their activities, the NGOs and CSOs solicit for funds from all over the world and collect billions of naira on behalf of Nigerians. Thirdly they recruit expatriates to help them run their activities in the country with lots of abuses,” he said.

He also “Some NGOs are used to fund the activities of terrorist and insurgents.”

Jubril attempted to explain that 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 interests of Nigerians.

In addition it is to ensure transparency and accountability in the ways and manners the NGOs collect moneys and use them for Nigerians.

Jubril maintained that the NGOs bill is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. It exists in many countries particularly in the ECOWAS sub- region and all over Africa and other continents. In Europe, Israel passed theirs last year! Kenya has a similar law since 1990.

“Nigeria is and should not be a banana republic where anything goes,” he said.

Emphasising that finally, the way the NGOs are reacting to this wonderful and well packaged bill particularly SERAP is not only shameful, but condemnable.

The Nigerian parliament is an institution governed by rules and traditions, he said, noting, that when a bill is for public hearing you go there and present your views like other interested Nigerians and invited cooperate bodies and government agencies for the standing committee to do justice to the bill.


“Going on cheap propaganda and blackmail and even calling on world bodies including the United Nation to help you withdraw a bill from our National Assembly will not help you,” he insisted

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
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