Improve Enforcement of FoI Law, e-Governance, CSO Tells Ekiti  

Improve Enforcement of FoI Law, e-Governance, CSO Tells Ekiti  

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

An Abuja-based Civil Society Organisation (CSO) under the auspices of Public and  Private Development Centre (PPDC) has advised the Ekiti State Government to improve on the implementation of the Freedom of Information (FoI) law across the Ministry, Departments and Agencies(MDAs), to promote all-inclusive governance.

In this same vein, the PPDC also advised successive administrations coming after the current state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to elevate the MDAs to a paperless pedestal through effective digitalisation of operations to ease means of accessing information regarding governance in the state.

An official of PPDC, Mr. Samuel Offia, stated this in Ado Ekiti yesterday during the launching of the 2022 FoI Compliance and Transparency Ranking for Ekiti State Government.

Offia said the concept of e-governance and FOI law were being promoted by PPDC to facilitate participatory governance, where all citizens would be factored into the running of government by the leaders.

He said the concept would also help in improving Fiscal Transparency and Accountability in public procurement to cut the cost of governance and checkmate the endemic corruption in the system.

According to him, “The FOI ranking started by PPDC in 2013 subsequent to the enactment of the Freedom of Information Law in 2011 through the Act of Parliament.

“As the world is evolving and attaining a digital status, there must be free access to information, so that the government can be held accountable by the citizens on how they expend their commonwealth.

“If truly we want to promote transparency, Nigerians need no letters to any government agency before accessing any information of interest. Information about allocations to states, contract awards, salaries of political appointees must be readily available.

“For this year’s ranking in Ekiti State, 13 MDAs were tested to ascertain their dispositions to rapid and proactive responses to the release of information requested for by the public, and we found out that the state ranks below average.

“The ranking is not to shame anybody or state, but we  believe Ekiti State can  do better next year. But what we are doing is to increase citizens’ participation in governance.”

In his submission, the Director-General  and Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Procurement, O’ Seun Odewale, described artificial intelligence, e- governance and FoI law as promoters of transparency, efficiency and productivity as well as  determinants of good governance in any country.

Odewale, who was represented by a staff of the Procurement Bureau, Mr. Samuel Ogundare, said transparency becomes imperative because cost of governance has a  direct impact on the people, which he said made it expedient for key stakeholders to have access to information.

However, the Chairman, Coalition of CSOs in Ekiti State, Prof. Victor Oluwadamilare, lamented how administrative bottlenecks have made access to information difficult in the country, saying this was responsible for high rate of corruption and abuse of powers in the system

Related Articles