Domesticate FOI Act In C-River – CSO Tasks Gov Otu
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – A network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Cross River State has challenged the Governor Bassey Otu-led administration to urgently domesticate the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act for robust social dialogue engagement in the overall interest and development of the State.
The Chairman of Civil Society Network (CSN), Leader Ben Usang said it is sad that over 13 years running, only three states in the country have deemed it necessary to domesticate the FOI Act since it came into existence in 2011.
Leader Usang, who bared his mind shortly after a one-day training workshop for journalists on the FOIA, lamented that Cross River is among the legion of states still dragging their feet about its implementation.
Speaking in a media interview, Usang also expressed dismay at the seeming “I don’t care attitude” of most State governments toward fast tracking the domestication of the FOI Act, insisting that such negative disposition has deprived citizens the opportunity of properly examining and understanding government actions and decisions.
According to him; “It is a pity that in spite of the importance and sensitive nature of the Act to the growth of democracy in the country, most people, including government and the governed, are not aware of the existence of the Act” that is meant to enhance governmental transparency.”
He said it is most unfortunate that government officials continue to “approach governance as if we are still in the age of the official secret information era”, stressing that democracy would only deepen in the country when factors that promote and sustain it are strictly adhered to by government’s functionaries at all levels.
In her intervention at the workshop, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council, Comrade Archibong Bassey said as Media practitioners, the FOIA presents a strong instrument for promoting transparency, accountability and due process in governance.
She charged journalists not to relent in the effective performance of their watchdog roles pending when the Act would be domesticated in the state.
Signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan on May 28, 2011, the FOIA, which came into force that same day, enables citizens to adequately inform themselves while also exercising their right to freedom of expression more purposefully.
The Act also enables the public to readily access information on governmental expenditures, policymaking, and agency operations.
By being transparent and letting individuals have access to reliable sources to form an accurate opinion, the government can easily build trust with its constituents.
