Nigeria's NGOs Face Scrutiny Amid New Regulations

Nigeria's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are under intense scrutiny as geopolitical shifts and financial investigations converge. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have launched a joint investigation into allegations of mismanagement of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds, focusing on financial irregularities and budget inflation linked to health and development projects.

Concurrently, the Nigerian Senate has passed the Foreign Assistance, Grants, Donations, Humanitarian Support and Concessional Financing Management Bill, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, which aims to create a Foreign Aid Regulatory Commission and enforce a 30-day registration for foreign aid. This legislation has sparked opposition from civil society networks and rights groups, who argue it duplicates existing regulatory functions and threatens civil society operations.

The ongoing regulatory history reflects a long-standing conflict between state authority and NGO autonomy in Nigeria.