Protect your freedom, Amnesty Int’l urges Nigerians

An international human rights group, Amnesty International has warned Nigerians to resist the attempt by government to gauge their freedom through the obnoxious NGO bill.

The controversial bill which has come under heavy criticisms seeks to set up the NGO Regulatory Commission to check the activities of NGO’s and civil society groups in the country.

Amnesty International called on Nigerians to join the international body in rejecting the bill which it said threatens the freedom of the people.

“The Nigerian government has just announced a public vote on a bill designed to take away the freedoms of Nigerian people, and if we don’t act now and vote against it before December 14, when the public hearing finishes, it could be too late,” Amnesty International wrote on its website.

“The government has tried to make it sound like this ‘NGO bill’ is just about restricting the freedom of NGOs, but a quick Google search shows the public outrage this bill has already caused.

“Show how much your freedoms of expression, speech and association matter to you – and stop this NGO bill in its tracks,” it added.

The organisation said the bill would have devastating effects on Nigerians, claiming that government was trying to pass it as quickly as possible before any action was taken to stop it.

According to the human rights group, the NGO bill will keep Nigerians from freely sharing their opinions, holding open discussion forums or organising people to protest.

“The effects of this bill will be far wider than just on NGOs; this bill will shrink the freedoms of Nigerians and allow the government to control them.

“The people in power are trying to rush this bill through, in order to quickly silence us; don’t let them,” it said.

Amnesty International further asked Nigerians to sign the petition to stop the passage of the bill and promised to present it at the public hearing in Abuja.

Myke Uzendu, Abuja