Few months after the passage of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has sued Senator Bala Mohammed and the Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mrs. Blessing Onyeche Onuh, before an Abuja High Court.
The NUJ is seeking the court to compel Onuh, who is daughter of Senate President David Mark, to make available to it detailed information on activities, incomes, expenditure, funding of Non Government Organisations (NGOs), rehabilitation of prostitutes, hawkers, beggers and their likes by her office.
In the application filed by Mr. Austine Uno, on behalf of the union, the applicant averred that it had written to secretariat since October 14, for the office to avail it of the information as required by law but was ignored.
The FCT Council of the NUJ is seeking the relief of the court to enforce the provisions of the FoI Act 2011 as contained in Section 2 and Sections 6, 7 and 8 of the Act.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of NUJ in Abuja, Mr. Jacob Edi, said it was time the media begin to enforce the provisions of the FoI Act and hold government agencies accountable, stressing “that the press had fought hard, waited long for the bill to come to life and now it was time to hold all managers of public office accountable to the people.”
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