The Kaduna State House of Assembly has described the call for the passage of the Freedom of Information, FOI bill as an obligation rather than a commitment to it.
“As a subscriber at the subnational level to a global accountability platform called Open Government Partnership, OGP, replicating FOI in the State for proper documentation of FOI requests is very important because it will improve public service delivery thereby increasing the life span of people of Kaduna State.”
Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Barr Magaji Danjuma stated this on the sideline of a stakeholders’ interactive session in line with the Kaduna State Government sustain agenda manifesto points 3 and 7 (strengthening Institutions and nurturing citizens’ engagement), organised by Transparency and Accountability in Totality Initiative (TinT).
According to the lawmaker, “our work is to legislate and if any issue needs to be legislated upon, is an obligation for us to legislate on that issue because there is no issue that does not need authority to be backed upon.
“Whatever it is must be guided by law. So if the domestication of FOI is required, then, it becomes an issue of legislation and a prerequisite for us as a legislature to act on it.
“There are processes to be followed to the letter and rules are meant to be obeyed which was what I was trying to say that all hands must be on deck.
“If the bill is coming from the executive, that is fine and one of our rules talked about continuation of session and continuation of assembly. So we need to treat each case according to its merits,” he said.
Earlier, Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, PBC, Abdullahi Monrovia restated the commitment of Governor Uba Sani to an open-door policy.
According to him, the governor has held the first town hall meeting and he has taken it upon himself to be holding town hall meetings every six months to hear directly from the people.
“He also met with the 23 local council chairmen and 255 political ward counselors which further buttresses the point I made earlier that the governor is committed to openness,” he said.
On his part, Project Officer, TinT, Mr. Musa Suleiman said his organisation has over the years supported the efforts of non-state and state actors in strengthening public transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and citizens’ engagement around public finance management which has improved service delivery in agriculture, basic education, healthcare among others.
He added that TinT is being supported by Palladium through the USAID Strengthening Civil Society and Local Engagement, SCALE project to advocate for enabling laws, policies, and regulations that expand the civic space for increased citizens-state collaboration.
Meanwhile, Chairman, of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kaduna State Council, Asma’u Halilu reiterated unwavering support of Kaduna-based journalists in amplifying voices calling for the replication of FOI in the State.
“The benefits of the FOI to the Kaduna citizens on the demand side and Kaduna government on the supply side are overwhelming.
“It is important to add that the FOI is not just for journalists, it is for the good of the citizens and government alike. So, as we join others calling for the relocation of FOI, we will continue to amplify voices geared towards peaceful and progressing Kaduna State,” she said.
Confidence Okwuchi
