{"id":2670,"date":"2020-09-05T15:06:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T15:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vor.org.ng\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2022-08-14T00:37:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T00:37:09","slug":"cama-ngos-pentecostals-and-the-nigerian-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/09\/05\/cama-ngos-pentecostals-and-the-nigerian-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"CAMA, NGOs, Pentecostals and the Nigerian reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Femi Olugbile
\n\"\"
\nRecently an updated set of prescriptions to regulate the operations of registered
\ncompanies and other entities was signed into law by the President. The law, known as
\nCompanies and Allied Matters Act, or CAMA \u2013 has six hundred and six pages and eight
\nhundred and seventy sections.
\nThe advent of CAMA, while being celebrated as a timely effort to sanitise the business
\nthe environment in Nigeria, including the operations of charities and \u201cnot for profit\u201d
\norganisations have raised hackles in some sections of the country. The loudest outcry
\nhas been from some of the most visible Dgures in the \u201cPentecostal\u201d Christian
\ncommunity.
\nIt is interesting to look at the grounds for their sentiments.<\/strong>
\nIt is difficult, at first glance, to think of anything that could conceivably be wrong in
\noperating a Non-Governmental Organisation. If people are spending their time and,
\noften, their own money for the public good, surely, they should be applauded. Even if
\nthey are collecting voluntary donations from other people or entities for the work, it is
\nstill difficult to see the motive as anything other than public-spiritedness.
\nThe facts on the ground are somewhat more problematic.<\/strong>
\nThe affiliations and finances of some NGOs are murky. Sometimes, apart from the issue
\nof finance, there may be national security implications. A vocal, \u201cone man\u201d faith-based
\nNGO has been accused of receiving funding from the terrorist group ISIS. A recent CNN
\nthe documentary showed another NGO with operations in Ghana and Nigeria apparently
\nserving as a Russian front for the dissemination of disinformation on social media
\ntargeted at the USA, for the purpose of deepening divisions between blacks and whites
\nand influencing the coming elections in favour of Donald Trump.
\nOn yet another level, anyone with experience of government will know that while private
\nfunding for the implementation of projects for the public good is always welcome, it is often
\nimpossible to match the purported \u201cspend\u201d of NGOs, especially the foreign-supported
\nones, with actual impact on the ground. Neither the budget of the NGO nor the details of
\nits expenditure is shared with the \u201cbeneficiary\u201d \u2013 whether state or federal. It is
\ncustomary to read in the foreign press that some millions of dollars have been spent by
\nan organisation in a village in Lagos, or Zamfara, and not be able to relate the visible
\nimpact with the alleged amount.
\nSometimes there is more than a whiff of scandal in the air. Lagos State some years ago
\nmade a determined effort to implement \u201cDonor Coordination\u201d, especially in its Health
\nsector. This required \u201cdonors\u201d to relate with the different tiers of government to get a
\n\u201cmapping\u201d of the people\u2019s needs, to avoid duplication and clustering of projects and
\nservices in some areas, while other places were neglected, and also to \u201ccapture\u201d, on
\npaper at least, their spending for planning purposes. To put it as delicately as possible,
\nDonor Coordination has not been met with a great deal of enthusiasm by \u201cdonors\u201d
\nworking in Nigeria. It is \u201cwork in progress\u201d.
\nThe issue of the Christian Pentecostal ministers versus CAMA requires more nuanced
\nconsideration than has been offered so far on the subject. What is at stake is huge and
\ngoes beyond Nigeria. One of the \u201cPentecostal Ministers\u201d has a longer, wider reach than
\nthe Archbishop of Canterbury.
\nNigeria is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country in the throes of an existential crisis.
\nThere are ethnic and religious fault lines that cannot simply be ignored or wished away
\nwith \u2018patriotic\u2019 exhortations.<\/p>\n

It can only be hoped that the baby will not be thrown out with the
\nbathwater, for the Nigerian public space, does require regulation.
\nBut it should be regulation that will not further stoke its paranoia<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some \u201caphorisms\u201d garnered in Medical School capture living reality.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be paranoid to live here, but it helps\u201d
\nAnd another \u2013
\n\u201cThat you are (labelled) paranoid doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not out to get you\u201d.
\nThe flamboyant lifestyles of some religious leaders in Nigeria are scandalous. They travel
\nin elaborate convoys of expensive cars, protected by armed policemen and Naunt their
\nprivate jets. Many people have long predicted that they would get their comeuppance
\nsomeday. When CAMA came, some, including members of \u201cmainstream\u201d Churches
\nclapped their hands in glee.
\nSadly, CAMA, in its present form, is imprecisely defined in areas and capable of being
\nused beyond the advertised purpose. There is Law, and then there is Context. The
\ncarefully calibrated engagement of Britain\u2019s Charity Commission with Pastor Olukoya\u2019s
\nMFM over late filing and failure to report improprieties in its UK church operations is instructive.
\nThe dialogue has lasted for years. An interim manager is in place, with a
\nstrict brief to review financial and governance processes and recommend changes. The
\nChurch-appointed trustees are still in place and have exclusive control over \u201cmatters
\nrelating to religious activities\u201d.
\nSection 839 of CAMA empowers \u201cThe Commission\u201d to suspend an Association\u2019s
\nTrustees and appoint an Interim Manager after a court order has been obtained
\nfollowing a petition by \u201cThe Commission\u201d OR \u201cone Dfth of the Association\u201d. Presumably,
\nthat refers to Trustees and not \u201cmembers\u201d, since some churches have millions of
\n\u201cmembers\u201d. The criteria for selecting the \u201cManager\u201d are not stipulated. It gets worse.
\n\u201cThe Court\u201d may appoint \u201cadditional Trustees\u201d. The nature of those \u201ctrustees\u201d and
\nwhether they are required to be members of \u201cThe Association\u201d or \u201coutsiders\u201d is not
\nstated. Sections 842, 843 and 844 empower \u201cThe Commission\u201d \u201cwith the approval of the
\nMinister\u201d effectively to take control of the Association\u2019s financial resources.
\nEven with its imperfections, CAMA might have worked in Australia or the UK, societies
\nwhere \u201ccommon sense\u201d and mutual trust are staples in public life. Despite its avowed
\ngood intentions, the booby traps can only worsen distrust in the troubled atmosphere of
\nNigeria.
\nIt has been suggested that those who have objections should define their issues and
\nengage with the National Assembly to improve CAMA. And SERAP has briefed Femi
\nFalana, SAN, and they are heading to court.
\nIt can only be hoped that the baby will not be thrown out with the bathwater, for the
\nNigerian public space does require regulation. But it should be regulation that will not
\nfurther stoke its paranoia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Femi Olugbile Recently an updated set of prescriptions to regulate the operations of registered companies and other entities was signed into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[737],"tags":[298,299,292,300,301,302,105,303,304],"class_list":["post-2670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-cama","tag-christian-pentecostal-ministers","tag-cnn","tag-companies-and-allied-matters-act","tag-isis","tag-lagos-state","tag-ngo","tag-ngos","tag-pentecostals-and-the-nigerian-reality"],"yoast_head":"\nCAMA, NGOs, Pentecostals and the Nigerian reality - Voice of Reason<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ictnetworldltd.com\/newvor\/2020\/09\/05\/cama-ngos-pentecostals-and-the-nigerian-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CAMA, NGOs, Pentecostals and the Nigerian reality - 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