Catholic Bishops kick against foreign aid regulation bill

The bishops made their position known in a communiqué issued at the end of their Second Plenary Meeting held at Our Lady and St. Kizito Pastoral Centre, Oke-Gada, Ede, Osun State, from September 10 to 18, 2026. The communiqué was signed by the CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, and the Conference Secretary, Bishop Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo of Abeokuta Diocese.

On the proposed foreign aid legislation, the bishops said some of its provisions requiring registration of foreign aid resources and government supervision of their use could negatively affect churches, mosques, schools and humanitarian organisations providing assistance to vulnerable and conflict-affected communities. They expressed concern over provisions that could allow authorities to deny or refuse renewal of registration where an organisation’s activities are considered “not in the national interest.”

According to the bishops, such provisions could give government officials broad discretionary powers and create additional bureaucracy for organisations already subject to existing regulatory frameworks. The communiqué stated: “This Bill, which allows authorities to deny registration or refuse renewals if an organization’s work is deemed ‘not in the national interest’, gives broad, undue discretionary powers to government officials.

“Again, the Bill risks creating an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, duplicating existing laws, and granting excessive government control that could stifle independent civic space. “Non-profit organisations and Incorporated Trustees including Churches, Mosques, other religious bodies, and humanitarian groups are already strictly regulated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and some other extant laws.”