Civil society members seek recall of Akpatason, NGO regulation committee chair

As controversy continues to trail the NGO Regulation Bill before the House of Representatives, the move to ensure the Bill does not get passed took another dimension, yesterday, when on one of the social media platforms, Whatsapp, a message calling for the recall of Hon. Peter Akpatason, chair the NGO Regulation Bill committee, started trending.

The promoters of the recall of the legislature hinged their position on the fact that Akpatason is no longer representing the people, as he has become the enemy of the people, by accepting to chair the committee.

Former Chairman, Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu has launched a personal campaign against the bill through a short video being distributed on social media platforms.
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In the video, Odinkalu claimed the proposed legislation would affect not just NGOs and civil societies, but also religious bodies, humanitarian agencies and the esusu system practiced in the village.

This was however countered by the House through the Deputy Majority Leader, Umar Jibril, the sponsor of the bill, saying some of the bodies listed by Odinkalu were not covered by the bill. He also stated that the bill is aimed at ensuring that funds collected by organisations to be regulated by the law are used for Nigerians.