Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Matthew Kukah has said the non-governmental organisation (NGO) regulatory commission bill is not needed.

He said this on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the house committee on civil society organisations and development partners.

What the bill seeks:

The NGO bill seeks to supervise and monitor the activities of civil society organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs).

What Kukah said:

Kukah said existing laws established to check the activities of NGOs should be effected.

“I stand with civil society very firmly (on the bill),” he said.

“We have enough laws already to cover every sphere of the country. The intentions (of the bill) might be right but I think we can channel our energy to other things.

“Without civil society, democacy will be in danger in Ngeria. We have so many laws covering what this bill is seeking to do.”

What Nigerians are saying:

Some Nigerians have protested against the bill, stating that it has been created to stifle NGOs and CSOs.

Azeez