Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the country under the aegis of the Network of Civil Society Organisations (NCSO) said the ongoing attempt to stifle civil activism would be resisted like the military dictatorship.
Speaking at a sensitization briefing convened by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), the Executive Director Protest to power (P2P) Jaye Gaskia, said “It is unfortunate that the present administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari that immensely benefited from the activism of CSOs would now be one to want to strangulate in the name of regulate the CSOs.”
He also wondered why Nigeria will join the likes of North Korea, Iran, Russia and China to vote against a 26 November 2015 UN resolution supporting and protecting people who promote and defend human rights.
“We sacrificed so much against military dictatorship before democracy was restored in 1999. The activism is still in us and we would resist this attempt to strangulate alternative voices to government only system. It is surprising that the federal lawmakers, who refused to pass important anti-corruption laws or pretending to be working on them would be so much interested in fast tracking this obnoxious law,” he said.
Controversy has trailed the draft law, which seeks to establish a commission that would regulate activities of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and a public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday by the House of Representatives.
