… Says It endangers civil society operations
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the National Assembly to reject to the proposed bill to regulate foreign aid risks undermining the independence of civil society organisations and shrinking civic space in Nigeria.
The HRW also said that the National Assembly should reject provisions that would give authorities undue influence over the funding and activities of independent organisations.
The HRW recall that in May 2026, the Senate introduced the Foreign Aid (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, which seeks to regulate the use of foreign aid, grants, and donations in Nigeria.
The bill, according to the HRW would establish a regulatory commission to oversee foreign aid.
It pointed out that the bill says its intention is to promote transparency and accountability, align aid with national development priorities, prevent the misuse and duplication of projects, and improve public access to information about foreign-funded activities.
According to the Nigeria Researcher at Human Rights Watch,
Anietie Ewang,
“Independence is essential to the work of civil society organisations working to scrutinise government actions, expose wrongdoing, hold those in power accountable, and advocate for reforms.”
“Legislation that seeks to align foreign funding with government priorities risks expanding government control over independent civil society and suppressing dissent,” he added.
The bill, which Human Rights Watch has reviewed, has passed its first and second readings, indicating the Senate’s approval of its general principles.
The bill, the HRW said has been referred to the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs for detailed review, public hearings, and stakeholder consultations, adding that the committee will report its recommendations to the Senate before the bill proceeds to a third reading and final vote.
The HRW stated that if passed by the Senate, it will also require approval by the House of Representatives and Presidential assent before it becomes law.
The committee was given four weeks from July 22 to conduct its review and consultations and is expected to report its recommendations to the Senate at any time.
The Nigeria’s National Assembly has, over the years, considered several legislative proposals seeking to expand government regulation and oversight of civil society organisations, but many faced significant opposition and failed to advance, including a 2016 bill to establish a Nongovernmental Organisations Regulatory Commission that stalled after a public hearing in 2017, and a similar bill introduced in 2020 was withdrawn following opposition from legislators.
HRW said that the bill raises many of the same concerns for civic space as its predecessors, adding that it would require, among other things, that “foreign aid-funded activities shall align with Nigeria’s national development plans and priorities.”
This vaguely worded provision, the human rights body said offers no meaningful clarity on how that would be assessed, or what activities could be considered inconsistent with government priorities
HRW noted that its broad and ambiguous language creates significant uncertainty for organisations engaged in human rights, governance, anti-corruption, and other accountability-related work that may challenge official policies or expose government shortcomings.
It also pointed out that failure to comply with the bill’s requirements could trigger financial penalties, revocation of operating licenses, and even jail terms.
Independent organisations, the HRW argued play a vital role in promoting transparency, documenting abuses, advocating reforms, and holding those in power accountable, stressing that requiring all foreign-funded activities to align with government priorities would undermine civil society independence and could be used to restrict organisations whose work is critical of those in power, creating opportunities to suppress dissent and limit democratic participation.
The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the rights to freedom of expression and association.
These rights are also protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which Nigeria has ratified and is obligated to uphold.
The United Nations special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association has repeatedly affirmed that the ability of associations to seek, receive, and use resources, including foreign funding, is an integral part of the right to freedom of association and essential to the effective operation of independent organizations.
Similarly, the HRW said that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Assembly in Africa affirm that associations should have the right to seek, receive, and use funds freely, including from foreign states, international organisations, and other external sources.
The guidelines state that governments should not restrict otherwise legitimate activities simply because an organisation receives foreign funding.
The HRW argued that conditioning access to foreign funding on conforming with government priorities would severely undermine civil society independence.
It said that the proposed bill also includes an array of new requirements around financial integrity, adding that
organisations operating in Nigeria already face extensive registration, financial reporting, and regulatory requirements.
The HRW said that nonprofits must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) as incorporated trustees or other appropriate entities and comply with applicable annual reporting requirements.
Organizations are also subject to registration and reporting obligations under the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, tax authorities, and other regulators.
The HRW noted that the bill does not include any explanation of why its additional reporting and other requirements are necessary, or how they would complement existing processes and requirements.
“Transparency and accountability are legitimate objectives, but they should not become a pretext to undermine the independence of civil society,” Ewang said.
“Nigeria should not create new layers of regulation that give the authorities excessive control over organizations simply because they receive foreign funding,” Ewang added.
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