MRA Faults NEITI’s Transfer To Amend FoI Act

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has faulted the latest name by the chief secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, for an modification to the Freedom of Info (FoI) Act, 2011, to impose punitive measures on “faux CSOs” allegedly “misusing” the legislation to blackmail public establishments, describing the decision as an try and discredit the Act and weaken it.

MRA in an announcement issued in Lagos mentioned such  proposal was not solely ill-conceived however deeply troubling because it undermined the spirit and function of the FOI Act which was enacted to ensure a proper of entry to data, promote transparency and fight corruption.

They added that suggesting punitive measures primarily based on obscure, subjective and unsubstantiated claims of ‘misuse’ poses an enormous danger of the Act turning into a instrument for silencing journalists, researchers, civil society actors, in addition to different residents and members of the general public who legitimately search data.

MRA’s programme officer, Ms Ayomide Eweje, mentioned within the assertion, “We reject any narrative that seeks to criminalise the train of a basic proper underneath the guise of defending public establishments.

‘’The suitable response to considerations about abuse of the FOI Act, even when such considerations are professional, is institutional transparency, together with routine compliance with the Act by all public establishments to make sure its efficient implementation and rigorous enforcement of the present mechanisms for guaranteeing compliance in order that no public establishment or official is put in a susceptible place the place they are often blackmailed.”

She described as illogical NEITI’s declare that “faux NGOs” had hijacked the FOI Act and had been utilizing it to blackmail public establishments, arguing that since each individual has a proper to request data underneath the Act.

‘’There isn’t any want for anybody to faux to be representing a non-governmental organisation, whether or not faux or real, as a way to use the Act and that when public officers disclose any data requested from them, there isn’t a means they are often blackmailed as any data that’s obtained from any public establishment underneath the FOI Act is successfully data that’s publicly accessible and has no blackmail worth,’’ she mentioned.