NHRC, Atiku commends Jonathan on FoI Bill

Posted by admin General Politics, Latest Politics, National Politics Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Wednesday, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for signing into law the Freedom of Information Bill.

The commission, in a statement signed by its Assistant Director, Public Affairs and Communications, Lambert Oparah, and made available to the Nigerian Tribune noted that the FOI Bill had gone through tortuous journey, having been the longest in the National Assembly .

According to the statement, “democracy entails openness, transparency and accountability and these are remarkable features of the FOI Act.The Freedom of Information Act will provide access to information on various activities of government which in the past are shrouded in secrecy.

“The commission congratulated the Nigerian journalists as principal beneficiaries of the FOI Act and urged them to seize the opportunity provided by the Act to further carry their roles of holding governments at all levels accountable to the people .The regime of freedom of information provides a challenge to journalists to carry their duties with utmost responsibility.

“The commission commended the National Assembly for fast-tracking the bill and allowing it see the light of the day.

“The FOI bill was first introduced to the National Assembly in 1999 and remained one of the most controversial bills to be passed into law . It was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday May 28, 2011,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has commended what he called the courage of President Goodluck Jonathan to formally sign into law the Freedom of Information Bill.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his media office in Abuja, the former vice-president noted that with the signing of the bill into law by Dr Jonathan, as passed by the National Assembly, “transparency and accountability in governance” would now be entrenched in the conduct of public life at all levels in the country.

According to Atiku, there could not have been a better time than now to entrench strenuous ethical standards in public life, especially with the current anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government.

The former vice-president argued that transparency and accountability could not be achieved when members of the public had no access to records and other documents essential in exposing wrongdoings against the people.

He said with the signing of the new law, the shroud of secrecy that surrounded the government and the private sector activities woulda now be lifted.

“Given the nature of our society, the fear of exposure of wrongdoings will appear to me to be a far more effective deterrent to public and private officials than even the courts could possibly be,” Atiku said.

-Tribunewp_posts