20th August, 2020
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, has broken his silence on the disputed Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA), saying the law was badly drafted.
According to Falana, he had read the law and that it was badly drafted.
He said a government that set out to facilitate the ease of doing business could not have come up with a 604-page business law.
Falana stated that the law was not completely new, as registered NGOs were regulated in the past in line with the practice in all democratic societies.
He said the only addition which was objectionable was the power conferred on the commission to take over and manage NGOs on allegations of misconduct.
Falana stated that the law was illegal because it was a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of association guaranteed by section 40 of the Constitution.
In his words: “I have read the law. It was badly drafted. A government that set out to facilitate the ease of doing business could not have come up with a 604-page business law (CAMA 2020).”
“But it is not a completely new law. Registered NGOs were regulated in the past in line with the practice in all democratic societies.
“The only addition which is objectionable is the power conferred on the commission to take over and manage NGOs on allegations of misconduct.
“It is illegal because it is a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of association guaranteed by section 40 of the Constitution.”