SERAP, Editors Threaten Lawsuit, Demand Withdrawal of Restrictive Legislation
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have issued a joint threat to take legal action against the National Assembly if lawmakers pass the controversial Foreign Aid (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill, 2026 (SB. 1034) into law.
In a joint press statement, the rights advocacy group and the media oversight body called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to immediately halt legislative processing and order the outright withdrawal of the proposed bill. They condemned the draft law as an unconstitutional assault on press freedom, civic space, and democratic participation.
Sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), the bill passed its second reading in the Senate and proposes a centralized regulatory framework to oversee all non-governmental organizations, independent media houses, and private entities receiving foreign assistance.
Under the proposed law.
Creation of FARC: A Foreign Aid Regulatory Commission (FARC) would be established, wielding powers to audit, inspect, approve, or reject international grants and donor-funded projects.
Mandatory Disclosure: Non-profit and media organizations would face strict 30-day deadlines to disclose funding sources, expenditure details, and project frameworks.
Severe Penalties: Defaulting entities face minimum fines of ₦20 million, mandatory suspension, or complete revocation of operating licences.
While the leadership of the Senate argues that the bill is essential for national security, preventing illicit financing, and aligning donor assistance with national priorities, civil society groups insist existing institutions like the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) already provide adequate oversight.
SERAP and the NGE contend that vesting the federal government with wide discretion over foreign-funded civic activity would grant state actors a vehicle to silence investigative journalism, suppress dissent, and shutter non-profit organizations exposing corruption or human rights abuses.
The groups warned that if the National Assembly ignores their concerns and passes SB. 1034, they will file fundamental rights enforcement suits in court. They plan to challenge the bill on the grounds that it violates Sections 38 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) which guarantee freedom of expression, thought, and a free press as well as Nigeria’s commitments under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The ultimatum by SERAP and the NGE follows similar rejections by a coalition of civil society organizations, including the Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS), Front Line Defenders, and the Nigerian Human Rights Defenders Network.
As the joint Senate committees on National Planning, Finance, and Foreign Affairs prepare to conduct public hearings on the bill, press freedom advocates and human rights groups maintain they will mobilize public and legal resistance to protect Nigeria’s democracy.
