The Friday 27 September 2024 edition of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Weekly Subject Experts’ Presentation was held at Hall B TY Burati Block, Abuja. The only presentation for the day was made by the Subject Expert on Eastern Europe.
Brigadier General AK Egwuagu (Rtd) Subject Expert on Eastern Europe centered his presentation on Doctors Without Borders Halts Russian Operations after Losing Legal Status. Doctors Without Borders have halted its operations in Russia after Moscow removed its authorisation to work in the country without any explicit reason (Aljazeera, 17 Sep 2024). The Netherland NGO known as Medecins Sans Frontier (MSF), announced the decision late Monday 16 Sep 2024, saying it was compelled to stop its activities in the country because Russia’s justice ministry had removed it from a roster of approved foreign charities. It announced the decision after losing a legal authorisation, lamenting that, “It was with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities which employed 50 people in Russia”.
MSF spokeswoman Maria Borscheva told the AFP News Agency that, “To comply with the justice ministry decision, we had to close our operations in the country and terminate the contract of our staff in accordance with all legal requirements”. The move puts MSF as part of the growing list of foreign charities pushed out of the region during the Ukraine war, after operating for 32 years in Russia. Last year, the Western aids groups, Greenpeace, Transparency International and World Wind Fund for Nature, were declared undesirable and effectively banned from operating in Russia. MSF has been in Russia since 1992, rendering medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or excluded from healthcare, operating programmes in aid of homeless people and migrants as well as tuberculosis treatment and general healthcare.
In his analysis and lessons for Nigeria, Brig Gen AK Egwuagu (Rtd) stated that, NGOs operating in Nigeria have shown commensurate strength in life-saving interventions by providing critical humanitarian aid, healthcare and food assistance to the vulnerable population. They have also done well in advocacy and influencing policy changes, human rights and social justice, community engagement in building strong relationships with local communities, promoting participation and ownership. In their capacity building efforts, they keep strengthening local organizations and government institutions through training and technical assistance, attracting funding, expertise and resources to address Nigeria’s developmental challenges. NGO groups in Nigeria cover various areas to address diverse challenges including humanitarian development, human rights and governance, health and well-being, environmental conservation, education, women’s empowerment, youth development, disability and inclusion.
Some major NGOs covering various fields in Nigeria have made significant contributions to humanitarian responses, development and advocacy, but keep facing challenges requiring adaptive strategies, improved coordination and strengthened partnership to maximize their impact. Although NGOs have played crucial roles in promoting peace and stability in Nigeria, working extremely hard to address and resolve conflicts, some have been faced with allegations of contributing to insecurity in the country. Security concerns such as funding of terrorism, supporting separatist movements, inciting violence by spreading inflammatory information and interfering in local conflicts, have led to the suspension of some NGOs in Nigeria over the years. For instance, the operations of Oxfam International was suspended by the Nigerian government in 2018, due to allegations of aiding Boko Haram. Action Against Hunger (AAH), Mercy Corps and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) were accused of aiding Boko Haram by the Nigerian government In 2019, while in 2020, the military accused some NGOs of supporting separatist movements in the country (BBC News, September 19, 2019).
In June 2020, Mercy Corps suspended its operations in Borno and Yobe States due to allegations of supporting Boko Haram while in January 2020, NRC also temporarily suspended its operations in Borno State following allegations of aiding Boko Haram. In 2022, the operations of the recently withdrawn MSF group from Russia, was temporarily suspended in Borno State following allegations of hiring unqualified staff. Despite these suspensions for supporting or funding terrorist organizations, violating security protocols, engaging in unauthorized activities or disregarding local regulations, the NGOs have consistently denied the allegations, emphasizing their commitment to humanitarian work.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has been critical of Nigerian government’s handling of various human rights issues, including excessive use of force, leading to unlawful torture and killings by the police and military forces. The NGO also expresses concern on restriction of freedom of expression, including the arrest and detention of journalists and activists, criticizing the government’s failure to investigate and prosecute human rights abuses, leading to a culture of impunity. It has documented abuses committed by Boko Haram and the Nigerian Army, including the abduction and enslavement of girls and women, while highlighting the neglect of vulnerable groups including IDPs and victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
In response to these accusations, the Nigerian government has always accused Amnesty International of bias and interfering in the country’s internal affairs, but the organization maintains that its goal remains to promote human rights and accountability in Nigeria. It is important to note that not all NGOs contribute to insecurity in the country as many of them work tirelessly to address and resolve conflicts, providing humanitarian aid, promoting peace, stability and human rights in the region. However, in order to mitigate risks and ensure NGOs operate effectively, it is necessary to enhance regulations and oversight, transparency in funding and operations, collaboration with local authorities, providing conflict sensitivity training and efficient monitoring of their activities.
He recommended that, the Federal Government of Nigeria should encourage the establishment of more local NGOs and support them to operate mainly in the rural areas and the NSA and Ministry of Interior should review the regulations and oversight, transparency in funding and operations, collaboration with local authorities, staff training and efficient monitoring of NGOs.
