The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to scrap the Foreign Aid (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, 2026 (SB.1034), warning it poses a serious threat to civic space and media freedom.
In a joint open letter dated August 29, 2026, signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare and NGE General Secretary Onuoha Ukeh, the groups argued the bill, though framed as a transparency measure, would establish “an extensive framework for governmental control over civil society organisations, independent media, religious organisations and other organisations and private entities receiving foreign assistance.”
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), would create a Foreign Aid Regulatory Commission empowered to register NGOs and private entities receiving foreign funding, demand disclosures, conduct inspections and audits, and impose sanctions including fines of at least ₦20 million and possible licence suspension or revocation, with individuals also facing fines and imprisonment for non-compliance.
SERAP and NGE said Nigeria already has adequate oversight bodies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission, EFCC, SCUML, NFIU and FIRS, making a new regulator unnecessary.
They also faulted the bill for relying on undefined terms like “foreign aid” and “national priorities,” arguing it fails tests of legality, necessity and proportionality.
The letter contends the bill conflicts with Sections 39 and 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and warned it could fuel self-censorship among journalists and civil society groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisations urged the National Assembly to withdraw the bill, commit to not reintroducing similar legislation, and instead prioritise laws that strengthen transparency and civic participation. They warned that if the bill passes, they will pursue legal action to challenge it.
