ABUJA — Five human rights organisations have called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to withdraw the Foreign Aids (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, 2026 (SB. 1034), warning that its provisions could restrict civic space and undermine the work of human rights defenders and civil society organisations.
The organisations are the Nigerian Human Rights Defenders Network (NHRDN), Partnership for Justice, Front Line Defenders (FLD), West African Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN) and Protection International (PI).
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the groups said the bill, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), had passed second reading in the Senate in July.
They said the proposed legislation seeks to establish a Foreign Aid Regulatory Commission (FARC) with powers to register, inspect, audit, sanction and suspend or shut down organisations receiving foreign grants, donations or technical assistance.
According to the organisations, the proposed regulatory framework could affect independent civic groups, human rights defenders, legal aid providers and humanitarian organisations operating in Nigeria.
