Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Law  

Groups want stricter enforcement of FOI Act

By Charles Ogugbuaja, (who was in Enugu)
08 December 2015   |   1:38 am
Human rights group, Justice for All (J4A)‎ has charged stakeholders in the judiciary to defend democracy as well as strict implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

infomagHuman rights group, Justice for All (J4A)‎ has charged stakeholders in the judiciary to defend democracy as well as strict implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

They made the charge in a programme organised by J4A in Enugu.

J4A, an anti-corruption unit under the Department of International Development (DFID) which is managed by the British Council‎ organized the programme in collaboration with the Media Initiative Against Justice, Violence and Corruption (MIVOC), Freedom of Information Coalition in Nigeria (FOICN), the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Federal Ministries of Justice as well as that of Information.

The group component manager, Mr. Emmanuel Uche, made the charge at the opening of a two- day workshop for agencies and public institutions on compliance to the FOI Act, held at ROBAN Hotels, Enugu State.

He said stakeholders in the judiciary should encourage Nigerians to protect and defend democracy in the country by holding all public officers accountable by their actions and activities, by making effective use of the Freedom of Information (FOI), Act in accessing needed public information and records.

Speaking at the workshop, Uche said the exercise was a gesture from the British Majesty to ensure that the country run strictly on transparent manner of public life.

He said corruption should be fought in all ramifications; noting that all should know about the Act, apply them for public information and records.

He said that any person who failed to disclose records of service publicly should leave public service and run private outfit.

According to him, If you need privacy as a public official, go and establish private outfit.
“Let us get empowered to see that we get our government accountable. All of us should stand up to know that which is our right”, he stated.

The event was attended by selected Civil Society Organizations ( CSOs), Journalists, Lawyers and other people from the six- geo political zone.

0 Comments