‘FOIB is Our Greatest Achievement’

With Ignatius Okorocha ‘Echoes from the Dome’

Niger Delta Standard, December 3, 2006, Page 13

The passing of the Freedom of Information Bill by the Senate has been adjudged the greatest achievement of the fifth National Assembly and a gateway to press freedom in Nigeria. It would be recalled that the Freedom of Information Bill, which received the blessing of the House of Representatives over a year ago, appeared to had been under scrutiny at the Senate until recently.

Although the bill still needs to be given the final touch by a joint committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives before it gets the President's nod, there are indications that the bill is as good as having been passed into law. Meanwhile, Niger Delta STANDARD did not fail to feel the pulse of some senators on what the bill portends to both the Nigerian media and its citizenry: Senator Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu) "… I think the trend all over the world is to increase private participation and private awareness in matters concerning the public because government itself is a matter that concerns everybody. We constitute government for the benefit of the citizenry.

The citizens are entitled to know whatever they want to know about government and governance. ‘’So, with the passage of that bill, every Nigerian is now entitled to ask questions and get answers. But prior to the passage of this bill, it has actually been difficult for the press and Nigerians alike to have access to certain information. ‘’I commend all the sections of the act and we are just hoping that we will reconcile whatever differences we have with the House of Representatives on the bill to enable us produce the final copy to the President to endorse.’’ Senator Ugochukwu Uba (Anambra) ‘’Section 10 of the act relates to criminal act of trying to utter or falsify or doctor document.’’ Senator Victor Ndoma Egba (Cross River) ‘’I agree that the court should be allowed some discretion.

You can stay a maximum of three years.’’ Senator T. U. Wada (Adamawa) ‘’A maximum of three years is adequate depending on the gravity of the document destroyed. Looking at Section 9 of the act; when you leave it to the will and caprices of an organization to regulate how much you pay before you get the document. We will unwittingly be giving it with one hand and getting it back with another because in that process, the access to information distorted and if you don't really specify how much you can pay, to my mind, the fees may be so exorbitant that you may not even have the amount to pay and by so doing, you will be denied access to that document.

‘’Those who refuse you access to information will be subjected to sanction for specified years. It is just to let the public know’ for instance, if a governor refuses to disclose information he will be made to face the music. But it goes beyond that, anybody who can show that he/she was acting on the directive of the governor or President may not face the consequences of the law, rather his master would pay the price for violation of that section of the law.’’