Over 50,000 NGOs in Nigeria?

An article on allAfrica.com in September, 2009 stated that there are over 46,000 (Non-State Actors) NGOs in Nigeria according to the records of Nigeria Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). This number could have risen well above that now; hence we should be looking at over 50,000.

It is noteworthy that although the CAC handles the registration of all incorporated trustees and companies, there is no valid register that can give us the exact figure. This is due in part to the fact that defunct organizations are, however, not purged from the register. Also, that the Commission does not maintain a listing of organizations that were denied registration or sanctioned. In addition, this register reportedly does not list many NGOs, some of which are big and vibrant; thus it cannot be considered a general register.

To this end, be the number over 50,000 or less than 2,000 registered on the Nigerian Network of Non-Governmental Organizations (NNNGO) website, how are they fairing? How measurable are their contributions to national development? And what are the ways forward in standardizing the Sector? These are questions which remain unanswered.