The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, has congratulated the Executive Director of the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mr. Edetean Ojo for being a recipient of the Pan African Conference on Access to Information (PACAI) award for FOI campaign.
IPC also congratulated the Executive Director of Liberia’s Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP), Mr. Malcom Joseph and former Assistant Director-General of UNESO, Mr. Alain Modoux, who were honoured alongside Mr. Ojo in Cape Town, South-Africa yesterday, for their commendable roles in promoting media freedom, freedom of expression and the right of access to information in Africa.
Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the award was greatly deserved, as Mr. Ojo “contributed significantly to the sustainability of the Nigerian FOI campaign in Nigeria until victory was won this year when President Goodluck Jonathan finally signed the FOI bill into law”.
“The FOI struggle went through many stages and phases; there were periods during the 15-year struggle that funding support was lacking and lobbying of legislators and distribution of materials –office to office, pigeon hole to pigeon hole, quarter to quarter, day and night in Abuja – had to be done on empty stomachs and wobbling legs; but Ojo’s courage and selfless pursuit of the FOI agenda offered inspiration to the entire Freedom of Information Coalition (FOIC)” said Mr. Arogundade.
Mr. Arogundade also noted that MRA, which served as the coordinating centre and secretariat of the FOIC offered enormous resources, including IEC materials, FOI listserve and personnel time that made the FOI campaign a huge success.
IPC said it was particularly delighted that Mr. Ojo is also the Chair of its (IPC’s) governing board.
Mr. Arogundade said the PACAI awards to Ojo, Joseph and Modoux should serve as source of encouragement for media and civil society activists in other African countries, seeking the enactment of FOI laws.
“In the final analysis, struggle pays; what is more important is to stay focussed, principled and committed”, Mr. Arogundade added.
SGD
Stella Nwofia
Program Officer