Akwa Ibom CSOs fault proposed Civil Society Registration Bill, demand review
Stakeholders in the civic space have identified some lapses in the proposed Akwa Ibom Civil Society Registration Harmonization Bill 2026, which has already passed first reading on the floor of the House. They expressed concerns over its legal provisions, regulatory powers and potential implications for civic space, calling for urgent review. The stakeholders made the […] Akwa Ibom CSOs fault…
Civic society stakeholders in Akwa Ibom have expressed reservations over the proposed Civil Society Registration Harmonization Bill 2026, after it cleared the first reading in the State House of Assembly. The concerns were voiced during a workshop held in Uyo by the Forum of Akwa Ibom CSOs and the Technical Working Group, with support from EU-funded CSO-Bridge Project and the Ethics and Good Leadership Awareness Initiative.
Dr Sam Oguche of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies highlighted the bill's lack of direct involvement of CSOs in the selection of the Registrar and Assistant Registrars, and questioned the undefined requirement of a 10-year relevant sector experience. Barr. Shekwonya Galadima of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission criticized the bill's drafting style, pointing out inconsistencies with modern legal standards, grammatical errors, undefined terms and lack of provisions for regulations, offences and sanctions.
The Technical Working Group and media practitioners also noted that the version presented for review was different from the one they had submitted earlier. Dr Harry Udo of EGLAI emphasized the importance of regulation in strengthening accountability and building government confidence in partnering with CSOs, emphasizing that regulation should not become overly restrictive.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Post Nigeria's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
