SERAP, Editors urge Senate to withdraw Foreign aid bill

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to immediately reject and withdraw the Foreign Aid (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, 2026 (SB.1034), describing the proposed legislation as unnecessary, unlawful, unconstitutional, and a severe threat to civic space, media freedom, and democratic participation in Nigeria.

The organisations stated that if enacted, the bill would establish an extensive framework for governmental control over civil society organisations, independent media, religious bodies, and other private entities receiving foreign assistance.

Sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), the bill proposes mandatory registration and disclosure requirements alongside stringent sanctions, including a minimum fine of ₦20 million for non-compliant organisations and the potential suspension or revocation of operating licences.

In a joint open letter dated 29 August 2026, signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director of SERAP, and Onuoha Ukeh, General Secretary of the NGE, the groups noted that although the bill is presented under the guise of promoting transparency, it functions as an instrument of state control.

The groups urged the National Assembly to withdraw the proposed legislation and publicly commit to avoiding measures that restrict legitimate civic activity, warning that should lawmakers proceed with passage, SERAP and the NGE will pursue legal action to safeguard constitutional rights.

The letter noted that foreign grants remain essential for independent investigative journalism, fact-checking initiatives, journalist safety programmes, and broader media development.

The organisations argued that the bill duplicates existing regulatory frameworks managed by the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

The groups also criticised the draft legislation for relying on vague terms such as “foreign aid,” “national priorities,” and “public interest” without providing clear legal definitions or objective standards.

Under Part II of the bill, a proposed Foreign Aid Regulatory Commission (FARC) would be granted sweeping powers to maintain databases, compel disclosures, conduct audits, monitor funding, and issue administrative sanctions.

The joint letter warned that such broad authority facilitates arbitrary enforcement, particularly in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections. The groups asserted that the bill contravenes sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of association, as well as provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

SERAP and the NGE urged the National Assembly to withdraw the bill, prioritise legislation that strengthens civic freedoms, refrain from introducing laws that undermine the rule of law, and uphold their constitutional responsibility to protect democratic participation.