Groups in Akwa Ibom Demand Single Registry to Ease Registration Process

Civil society groups in Akwa Ibom State want a central registry. This will help get rid of the multiple registration rules and extra fees from different government agencies.

This call came out of a town hall meeting on the Civil Society Organisation Registration Bill 2026. The meeting took place on 9 July in Uyo.

The event was organised by the Community of Practice on Civic Space Strengthening with help from Global Rights. It brought together leaders from civil society, governance stakeholders, and media people to look at the proposed law.

The leaders said that not having a clear registration system forces organisations to go through registration again and again. This leads to extra costs and red tape from different ministries, departments, and agencies.

They suggested that the Akwa Ibom State CSO Registry should be placed under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. This registry would be the only place for civil society organisations to register in the state.

The communiqué said this change would get rid of different registration systems and overlapping fees that current government bodies impose on organisations.

“A broken system has for too long drained civil society’s time, resources, and goodwill,” the communiqué said.

The groups also supported parts of the draft bill that call for an online registration and directory system. They believe that using digital methods for registration and document exchange would cut down on chances for extortion and delays that come with manual processes.

They noted that the digital system should follow Nigeria’s data protection laws. It should also stay as a key part of the new legal framework to encourage transparency and accountability.

The participants pushed lawmakers to keep provisions that ensure the independence of a proposed five-member registry board. They suggested that civil society organisations should choose three of the five members, and all board members should have equal voting rights. This will stop political interference in how the registry is run.

Recognising that the bill might take time to get the governor's approval, the groups suggested that the Akwa Ibom Head of Service should send out an administrative circular. This would start implementing the new registration framework while waiting for the bill to pass.

They called this step an interim measure to stop more delays in changing the state's rules for civil society organisations.

The groups also asked the media to keep pushing for the quick passage of the bill by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. They said that even though the project funded by the European Union ends on 13 July, the work to reform the state’s civic rules must continue.

The communiqué was signed by the Secretariat of the Community of Practice Steering Committee. Tijah Bolton-Akpan leads this committee in Akwa Ibom.