SNEPCo MD Ronald Adams, inducted Fellow of Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE) at the weekend inducted the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), Ronald Adams and 19 others as Fellows for outstanding contributions to the profession.

They were accorded the highest honour of the Society at its 55th conference and annual general meeting held on Saturday November 15th in Enugu. NSChE National President, Bayo Olarewaju-Alo, advised them to continue “to inspire younger engineers, shape industrial polices and drive sustainable growth through innovation and ethical practice.”

Fellowship: 500 cybergirls @22 countries inducted - ITREALMS

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The CyberSafe Foundation has kicked off its third annual cohort of the CyberGirls fellowship program. The program has admitted 500 female cybersecurity enthusiasts aged between 18-28 years old from 22 African countries.

The CyberGirls fellowship program is Africa's largest female-focused free cybersecurity training and mentorship program, providing fellows with world-class training and mentorship to enable them to develop the skills they need to thrive in the cybersecurity industry.

Rudman inducted into IPv6 Hall of Fame'22 - ITREALMS

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The Chairman, IPV6 Council Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman has been inducted into the Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) Hall of Fame, reports ITREALMS.

Rudman is also the chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) and doubled as the current president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), the managers of .NG country code domain.

NITMA2022: Funke Opeke emerges IT Personality of the year, 55 fellows inducted - ITREALMS

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The founder and chief executive officer of MainOne, Ms Funke Opeke, has emerged the Information Technology (IT) Personality of the year and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu became the Digital Governor of the year, at the 2022 Nigeria IT Merit Awards, reports ITREALMS.

Their emergence was sequel to the 2022 Nigeria IT Merit Awards hosted by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) at the Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Center, Onikan Lagos on Thursday with creme dele creme of IT industry in attendance.

Muoka, Ibietan, others inducted fellows @NIPR - ITREALMS

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The Director, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Reuben Muoka and the Head, Media Relations Management of the Commission, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, have been inducted into as fellows of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), reports ITREALMS.

Their inductions were approved among others by the Council of the institute, and were held at the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the International Conference Center, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Why CommTech was inducted into FOI hall of share - ITREALMS

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The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has why the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology (CommTech) was inducted into the “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame”, accusing the Ministry of extremely poor performance in its implementation of the Act over the last seven years, reports ITREALMS.

MRA’s Programme Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, announced the selection of the Ministry as this week’s inductee in a statement issued in Lagos, saying “the Ministry’s overall performance in the implementation of the FOI Act since the enactment of the Law in 2011 has been extremely poor and certainly falls far short of what is required of public institutions covered by the Act”.

According to Mr. Adewale, MRA’s analysis of the Attorney-General of the Federation’s annual statutory reports to the National Assembly on the implementation of the FOI Act between 2011 and 2017, shows that out of the seven annual reports which the Ministry ought to have submitted to the Attorney-General under Section 29 of the Act as of February 1, 2018, the Ministry has only submitted one report for 2011 to date.

The Ministry, established in 2011, is charged, amongst other things, with the tasks of fostering a knowledge-based economy and information society in Nigeria; facilitating ICT as a key tool in the transformation agenda for Nigeria in the areas of job creation, economic growth and transparency of governance as well as creating and formulating policies that will propel the Nigerian economy to a digitized economy.

Explaining the reasons for the Ministry’s induction, Mr. Adewale said the institution was assessed based on its level of compliance with its duties and obligations in five areas of the FOI Act and the Attorney-General’s Guidelines on the Implementation of the Act, which are: its obligation to provide information to members of the public on request, its duty to submit annual implementation reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation, its proactive publications obligations; its duty to train its staff and officials on the public’s right of access to information as well as its obligation to designate an FOI Desk Officer and proactively publish the title and address of the official.

Noting that the Ministry performed woefully in most of the categories, he added that the failure of the institution to consistently submit its annual implementation reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation had also made it impossible to determine the number of applications for information that it has received, the number of such applications that it processed as well as the number of requests for information it has granted or denied over the years.

Mr. Adewale accused the Ministry of breaching section 2 of the FOI Act, which requires all public institutions to proactively publish some categories of information even without anyone making any request for such information as well as to update such information regularly and whenever changes occur.

Explaining the potential benefits of the Ministry complying with its proactive disclosure obligations, he stressed that if it fulfills this obligation, it would find that the pressure on it arising from receiving and having to process too many FOI requests would be considerably reduced.

He accused the Ministry of not having published either on any its website, or anywhere else, the 16 categories of information that it is required by the Act to publish and disseminate widely to members of the public through various means, including print, electronic and online.

According to him, although Section 13 of the FOI Act requires every government or public institution to ensure the provision of appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to the information and records that it holds for the effective implementation of the Act, these there is no indication that the Ministry has fulfilled this obligation as there is no information available about its training of its staff on the Act.

On the Ministry’s obligation to designate an FOI Desk Officer, Mr. Adewale said although the Database of FOI Desk Officers available at the Federal Ministry of Justice, which is the oversight institution for the implementation of the FOI Act, shows that the Ministry has designated an official to whom requests for information should be made, the Ministry itself has failed to publish the title and address of the officer on its website or anywhere else, as required by Section 2(3)(f) of the Act.

He urged, the Ministry to make good use of its website to proactively publish those categories of information which the Act requires all public institutions to proactively disclose, adding that by so doing, the Ministry would not only put itself in a good stead as regards the implementation of the FOI Act, but would also lessen the burden of repeatedly processing individual requests for information from citizens touching on those issues.

Mr. Adewale called upon the Minister of Communication Technology, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, to take urgent steps to ensure the provision of appropriate training for the staff and officials of the Ministry so as to acquaint them with their duties and obligations under the FOI Act, which would hopefully lead to improved compliance with and implementation of the Act by the Ministry.

Launched in July 2017, the FOI “Hall of Shame” highlights public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances, and decisions.

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Radio Nigeria in MRA’s net, inducted into FOI Hall of Shame - ITREALMS

MediaWatch@ITREALMS:

The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) also known as ‘Radio Nigeria’ has been caught in the net of Media Rights Agenda (MRA) which has inducted the station into the Freedom of Information (FOI) “Hall of Shame”, reports ITREALMS.

Confirming this, Ms Morisola Alaba, a Legal Officer at MRA, said the institution’s sundry violations of the provisions of the FOI Act also amounted to a breach of its primary mandate to make news and information available to the public.

“It is always disheartening when a public institution established and funded primarily to facilitate the free flow of information within the society, particularly between the government and citizens, is found to be inhibiting or constraining access to information by citizens, especially when it does so in clear violation of the express provisions of the Law. We are gravely disappointed that the FRCN, which ought to leverage every available legal and institutional framework to fulfil its mandate of making news and information more freely available to the public, is so blatantly flouting the provisions of a piece of legislation enacted for precisely the same purpose,” she said.

The FRCN was established by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Act Cap. F18 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria to provide radio broadcasting services for general reception within Nigeria and also to provide external services for reception in countries outside Nigeria.

The corporation is Nigeria's publicly funded national radio broadcasting organization with a subsidiary domestic radio network known as Radio Nigeria having FM stations across the 36 states of the country as well as zonal stations in the six geo-political zones. It has the responsibility of planning, regulating and coordinating the activities of all the stations and the entire federal radio broadcasting system in the country.

Noting that the FRCN had apparently decided to operate in secrecy, Ms Alaba said since the enactment of the FOI Act in 2011, the institution had submitted only one out of the seven annual reports that it ought to have submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation on its implementation of the Act as at February 1, 2018, as provided by Section 29(1) of the Act.

She contended that besides being a breach of the provisions of the Act in itself, the corporation’s failure to submit its annual report to the Attorney General of the Federation for the other six years had made it virtually impossible to determine the number of applications for access to information that it has received for each year and in total as well as the number of such applications that it processed and granted since these details ought to have been provided in the annual reports.

According to Ms Alaba, despite the significant tasks that the FRCN is saddled with, the corporation has failed to fulfil its proactive publications obligations as there is no record or information on its website or on any other publicly accessible platform about its activities, operations and businesses, which it is required by section 2(1) of the Act to disclose to the public.

She stated that out of the 16 categories of information that the FRCN is obliged to proactively publish as mandated by the Act, the corporation has only complied with respect to one of them, which is the designation of an FOI Desk Officer, as required by section 2(3) (f) of the FOI Act.

Ms Alaba noted that the corporation has not proactively disclosed the names, salaries, titles and dates of employment of all its employees, as required by section 2 (3) (d) (vi) of the Act; nor has it disclosed information on documents containing final planning policies and decisions; as well as information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public or other funds of the institution, thereby violating section 2 (3) (iii) and (v) of the Act, among others.

Although she commended the FRCN for designating an FOI Desk Officer, she said its failure to fulfil its other proactive publications obligations was putting the effective implementation of the FOI Act in jeopardy because the proactive disclosure of most of the information listed in the Act helps to facilitate the exercise of the right of access to information for the public because, among other benefits, it enables members of the public seeking information to know what information each public institution holds and, therefore, which institution they should approach for any specific information that they are interested in.

Ms Alaba said there was also no indication that the corporation has provided appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information held by it as well as on the effective implementation of the Act, as required by Section 13 of the Act.

Launched in July 2017, the FOI “Hall of Shame” highlights public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances, and decisions.

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NIPOST inducted into ‘FOI Hall of Shame’ - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has been inducted into the “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame” by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), reports ITREALMS.

This induction, MRA said, is for the institution’s failure to comply with its duties and obligations under the FOI Act, thereby violating the public’s right of access to information.

Also, MRA said in a statement in Lagos made available to ITREALMS that NIPOST was in breach of several provisions of the FOI Act, including failing to designate an appropriate official to receive requests for information from members of the public; and failing to publish the title and contact details of such an official as required by the Act and the Implementation Guidelines issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

MRA also accused NIPOST of disregarding its statutory obligation to submit annual reports on its implementation of the Act to the Attorney-General of the Federation; failing to proactively publish the categories of information which it is required to publish by the Act, failing to provide appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information, among others.

NIPOST was established by Act No. 18 of 1987 to provide and operate facilities for the collection, dispatch and distribution of inland and overseas mail at reasonable cost;  provide and operate facilities for remittance of money through the money or postal order systems; provide and operate philatelic services in Nigeria; print and provide postage stamps for payment of postage tariff and payment of stamp duties and to represent Nigeria in its relations with other postal administrations and other bodies concerned with postal services.

Sadly, MRA said, despite these very critical information and communication services which the institution is mandated to provide to Nigerians and other members of the public, NIPOST has chosen to conduct its business in secrecy and has consistently violated the provisions of the FOI Act since its enactment in 2011.

Mr. John Gbadamosi, MRA’s Programme Officer, said in the statement: “NIPOST, which used to be a department in the Ministry of Communications, should ordinarily constitute a critical pillar in the effective implementation of the FOI Act and stands to benefit from the existence of the Act if it is able to overcome its institutional shortsightedness, the historical incompetence that has dogged its activities and operations for decades and if its management has the resourcefulness to tailor its services to take advantage of a huge opportunity at the disposal of an institution hurtling into extinction as a result of its increasing irrelevance to the society it was established to serve.”

He noted that in addition to complying with the provisions of the FOI Act, as it is obliged to do under the Law, it is also in the enlightened self-interest of NIPOST to promote the Act and its implementation by other public institutions which would result in additional resources for it.

According to Mr. Gbadamosi, “the services that NIPOST was established to provide make it ideally suited to convey applications for information from members of the public all over the country to public institutions in different parts of Nigeria and similarly serve as the vehicle through which public institutions can deliver their responses to such requesters for information at affordable rates that would make it a preferred option for those who currently have to deliver such applications and responses either by courier or through hand deliveries and dispatches.”

Besides, he said, “the money and postal order systems, which are now virtually moribund, could also be easily revived and could become the most viable instruments for members of the public seeking to make payments to public institutions for requested information, which would provide NIPOST with desperately need revenue streams.”

Mr. Gbadamosi noted that although NIPOST claims to have eliminated the incidence of mail theft, pilfering, tampering and other forms of fraudulent activities as a way of boosting customers' confidence, there remains a lack of transparency and accountability in the provision of its service to the public, which have largely remained inefficient.”

He accused NIPOST  of non-compliance with its obligation under the Law to proactively publish 16 categories of information that it is required to publish by Section 2(3) and (4) of the Act, saying “additionally, there is no indication whatsoever that the institution has designated an official to whom requests  for information should be sent while it has also not proactively published the title and address of such an official as the information is not even available on its website.”

Mr. Gbadamosi also pointed out the institution’s failure to comply with its obligation under Section 29 of the Act, which mandates NIPOST, like other public institutions covered by the Act, to submit to the Attorney-General of the Federation, on or before February 1 of each year, a report covering the preceding fiscal year of its implementation of the Act.

He said there was no indication that the NIPOST has provided the appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information or records held by the Bureau or trained them to effectively implement the Act, as it is required to do by section 13 of the FOI Act.

Mr. Gbadamosi called on the management of the Service to redeem the institution’s image by ensuring that it complies with its duties and obligations under the FOI Act.

MRA launched the “FOI Hall of Shame” on July 3, 2017 to draw attention to public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and decisions.

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Petroleum Resources Ministry inducted into ‘FOI Hall of Shame’ - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today announced the induction of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources into its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame, saying the institution has consistently failed to comply with its duties and obligations under the FOI Act, 2011, reports ITREALMS.

A statement in Lagos, MRA’s Legal Officer, Ms Chioma Nwaodike, said: “The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources has violated virtually all its obligations under the FOI Act since the Law was enacted seven years ago. We are at a loss as to how the Ministry hopes to perform its function of ensuring “compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in the Oil and Gas sector” when it is itself not complying with a major law of the land. It cannot possibly have the moral authority to insist on compliance by other entities with laws when it is not complying with other laws that apply to it.”

According to her, the Ministry clearly recognizes that its principal mandate is “to transform the oil and gas industry for the increased benefit of Nigeria and its people through effective implementation of policies on hydrocarbon exploration, exploitation, production, distribution and utilization in accordance with international standards.”

She said: “It is ironic that although the Ministry appreciates that its main function is to ensure that Nigeria’s major revenue earner is managed for the benefit of the country and its people, it does not appear to recognize the need for it to be transparent and accountable to the people of Nigeria and is clearly unwilling to make the effort. How it hopes to fulfill its mandate without being transparent or accountable to the citizens of Nigeria whose interests it is established to protect remains a mystery to us.”

Justifying the induction of the Ministry into the FOI Hall of Shame, Ms Nwaodike noted that it has failed to comply with section 2 of the FOI Act, which requires it to proactively publish certain types of information even without anyone making any request for such information and to update such information regularly.

She stressed that the Ministry has been bedeviled by secrecy, which has left the country and its people in the dark about the activities of the Ministry, adding: “This cult-like secrecy has prevented the Ministry from proactively disclosing information that can contribute to informed public debates about the management of the country’s natural resources and better policies on the issue which will in turn promote good governance.”

Ms Nwaodike accused the Ministry of non-compliance with Section 29 of the Act, which makes it mandatory for the Ministry, like all other public institutions, to submit annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation on its implementation of the Act and make such reports publicly available.

According to her, the Ministry had not submitted any report to the Attorney-General of the Federation since the Act was passed into Law in 2011 and has not published any such report to the public, when it should have submitted and publicly published seven such reports as at February 1, 2018.

She described such “serial disobedience of a valid Law” unacceptable and an egregious act of impunity, which should disentitle any public officer heading such a public institution in Nigeria from continuing to hold public office.

Ms Nwaodike said the Ministry has also not designated an appropriate officer to whom requests for information from members of the public should be sent nor has it proactively published the title and address of such an officer either on its website or anywhere else, as required by Section 2(3)(f) of the Act and the FOI Implementation Guidelines issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

She noted that in addition to the failure of the Ministry to designate an FOI Desk Officer to receive and process requests for information as provided under Section 2(3) (f) of the Act, the Ministry has also failed to provide the required training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information which will enable relevant officials to effectively implement the law at any time as provided by Section 13 of the FOI Act.

Ms Nwaodike contended that an administration, such as that of President Muhammadu Buhari, which has as one of its cardinal programmes the fight against corruption, ought not to stand by and allow the level of impunity in institutions such as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to go unchallenged or unsanctioned.

She called on President Buhari, who is also incidentally the Minister of Petroleum Resources, to take urgent measures to address the rot in the oil and gas sector and to return the nation to the path of probity, integrity and good governance by tackling the persistent corruption, crude oil theft and shady deals within the sector as well as the lack of transparency and accountability which has enabled these vices to persist and flourish.

Ms Nwaodike stressed that the effective enforcement of the FOI Act in the public institutions which oversee or interface with the oil and gas industry would be a good starting point in instituting a culture of openness in the sector.

Launched in July 2017, the “FOI Hall of Shame” highlights public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances, and decisions.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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FOI Hall of Shame: National Library inducted

ITREALMS:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has named the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) this week’s inductee of the “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame” for its failure to fully implement the FOI Act, 2011, reports ITREALMS.

MRA’s Programme Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, announced the induction in a statement in Lagos, saying “The National Library, whose vision is to ensure the building of an informed and enlightened citizenry through the provision of information resources that are readily available and easily accessible ought not to be found in violation of a law like the FOI Act, which is so aligned with its institutional objectives. Rather, it should position itself as an institution that promotes the Act and sets an example for other public institutions to follow.”

The National Library was established by the National Library Act of 1970 to provide the nation with a source of intellectual support and stimulus for advancement in all fields of human endeavour, particularly in academic, social, cultural, scientific and technological enterprise and also provide comprehensive and rich collection for reference and research in all fields within and beyond the nation's physical boundaries as well as to ensure for the nation a place in the community of nations which depends on knowledge and original ideas for survival.

According to Mr. Adewale, of the five broad categories used in assessing the National Library’s compliance with the provisions of the FOI Act, it was only on the level of responsiveness to requests for information from members of the public that the institution recorded a positive performance.

Information available to MRA shows that the National Library responded to a request for information dated January 18, 2016, which was made by Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, for records of payments released to the institution for capital projects in 2015.

Similarly, the National Library also responded to a request dated July 14, 2016, made to it by the same organisation, asking for the list of contracts awarded by the NLN in 2015 and its procurement plan for 2016.

MRA commended the institution for its responsiveness to those requests for information but observed that it performed woefully overall by failing to comply with all its other duties and obligations as a public institution within the meaning of the FOI Act.

Highlighting other categories where the National Library failed to live up to its obligations under the FOI Act, Mr. Adewale noted that since the enactment of the Law in 2011, the institution has not submitted any annual report on its implementation of the Law to the Attorney-General of the Federation, as required by section 29 of the Act.

Mr. Adewale said the institution’s non-compliance with its obligation to submit FOI implementation reports annually makes it impossible to determine the number of applications for access to information that it has received for each year since 2011 and the number of such applications that it processed and granted for any particular year or overall, besides those made by the PPDC, which the non-governmental organization itself had publicised.

He cited the “Contact Details of Freedom of Information (FOI) Desk Officers in Public Institutions in Nigeria” released by the Attorney-General of the Federation as proof that the National Library has not complied with Section 2(3)(f) of the FOI Act, which mandates every public institution to designate an appropriate officer as well as to publish the title and address of such an officer to whom applications for information by members of the public should be sent.

In addition, Mr. Adewale said, the National Library has failed to proactively publish either on its website or anywhere else, the categories of information that Section 2(3) and (4) of the FOI Act requires all public institutions to proactively publish and disseminate widely to members of the public through various means, including print, electronic and online sources.

He expressed concern that the “National Library, which ought to be playing a significant role in ensuring that the FOI Act is effective, has chosen to disregard Section 13 of the Act which requires every public institution to ensure the provision of appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information and for the effective implementation of the Act.”

Mr. Adewale urged the Board of the National Library to take urgent steps to ensure that all its staff are appropriately trained on the public’s right of access to information and that it complies fully with all its other obligations under the FOI Act as well as under the Guidelines on the Implementation of the FOI Act, 2013, issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

By doing this, he contended, the FOI Act will provide the National Library with the opportunities to further assert and strengthen its relevance in providing information to the citizens.

MRA launched the FOI Hall of Shame in July 2017, to shine the spotlight on public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and decisions.

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NPF Pensions inducted into ‘FOI Hall of Shame’

ITREALMS:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has named the NPF PensionsLimited as this week’s inductee into its “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame” for the opacity of its operation in violation of the provisions of the FOI Act, reports ITRealms.

MRA also said the institution’s practice of operating in secrecy was also contrary to its own core values, which include transparency and accountability.

MRA’s Project Director, Mr. Segun Fatuase, noted in a statement in Lagos that since the establishment of the NPF Pensions Limited, following the passage of the FOI Act into Law in 2011, the institution has consistently undermined the objectives of the Act by conducting its business in secrecy.

According to Mr. Fatuase, the NPF Pensions Limited was incorporated on October 21 2013, with a fully paid share capital of N1 billion and with two major shareholders, the Nigeria Police Welfare Insurance Cooperative Society Limited and the Nigeria Police Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.  The NPF Pensions Limited was established with the approval of the Federal Government as a Pension Fund Administrator to cater to the unique needs of the Police following inadequacies in the current Contributory Pension Scheme and earlier pension schemes.

He said since the institution was established, it had consistently flouted Section 2 of the FOI Act which requires all public institutions to proactively disclose certain types of information to the public and to update these categories of information whenever changes occur as well as to make such information readily available to the public through the various means listed in the Act, namely print, electronic, online methods and at the offices of the organization.  He added that the NPF Pensions Limited has failed to publish the information that it is required to proactively disclose under this section.

Mr. Fatuase observed that the NPF Pensions Limited has also failed to proactively disclose information relating to its receipt or expenditure of its public or other funds and a range of other types of information, as required by section 2(3)(d)(v) of the FOI Act.

He accused the organisation of failing to comply with Section 2(3) (f) of the Act which requires all public institutions such as the NPF Pensions Limited to designate an appropriate officer to whom applications for information under the Act should be sent and the institution to proactively publish the title and address of such an officer.

Besides, Mr. Fatuase said: “There is no indication whatsoever that the NPF Pensions Limited   has provided the requisite training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information or records held by it or that it has appropriately trained its officials to effectively implement the Act, as it is required to do by Section 13 of the Act.”

He criticized the NPF Pensions Limited for flagrantly violating Section 29 of the FOI Act, which places an obligation on all public institutions to submit annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation on their implementation of the Act, noting that “since the Act was passed into Law nearly seven years ago, the NPF Pensions Limited has not submitted any report to the Attorney-General of the Federation or issued any such report for any year.”

Mr. Fatuase said: “Such blatant disregard for a statutory obligation should not be permitted in any form under the rule of law. It is a conduct capable of bringing the Government to ridicule as it creates the impression that rules, laws and regulations are of no consequence because public institutions and the officials who preside over them are at liberty to ignore such rules, laws and regulations.”

He also observed that the failure of the NPF Pensions Limited to submit its annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation has made it virtually impossible to determine the number of applications for access to information that it has received for each year since the Act was passed into Law and the number of such applications that it processed and granted for any particular year or overall.

Mr. Fatuase stressed that there was no justifiable excuse for the NPF Pensions Limited’s refusal to fulfill its duties and obligations under the FOI Act and called on the relevant authorities of the Federal Government to take stern measures to address the situation.

Launched in July 2017, the FOI Hall of Shame shines the spotlight on public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and decisions. 

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Why MRA inducted Nigerian Prisons Service into ‘FOI Hall of Shame’

ITREALMS:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has inducted the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) into its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame for its lack of transparency about its operations and activities, evidenced by its blatant disregard of the FOI Act.

In a statement in Lagos, MRA’s Director of Programmes, Mr. Ayode Longe, noted that “since the coming into force of the FOI Act in 2011, the Nigerian Prisons Service has not submitted a single annual report on its implementation of the Act, as required by section 29 of the Act as well as the Guidelines for the Implementation of the FOI Act, issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation pursuant to his powers under the Act.”

According to him, there is no information available anywhere on the institution’s handling of requests for information made to it by members of the public, pursuant to the FOI Act, making it is difficult to determine the extent of the Nigerian Prisons Service’s responsiveness to requests for information made to it by members of the public.

Mr. Longe said: “By February 1, this year, the Nigerian Prisons Service should have submitted a total of seven annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation on its implementation of the FOI Act. But records obtained from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation show that it has not submitted a single report during this period, a clear violation of its statutory obligations under the Act. As a direct result of the institution’s failure to submit its annual reports, we cannot ascertain the number of applications for information that it received and the number that it has processed or granted in the last seven years.”

He accused the Nigerian Prisons Service of failing to list the classes of records under its control in sufficient detail to facilitate the exercise of the right to information under the Act as well as the manuals used by its employees in administering or carrying out any of the programmes or activities of the institution as part of its proactive publications obligations under Section 2(3)(b) of the Act.

Mr. Longe observed that the institution has also not proactively disclosed documents in its custody, containing factual reports, inspection reports, and studies whether prepared by or for the institution as well as a description of documents containing final opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, as required by section 2 of the Act.

In addition, he said, the Nigerian Prisons Service, has failed to proactively disclose any information regarding the names, salaries, titles and dates of employment of all employees and officers of the institution, thereby violating section 2(3) (d)(vi) of the FOI Act.

According to him, the Nigerian Prisons Service also contravened section 2 (3) (d)(i) and (e)(iii) of the Act as it failed to proactively disclose any information relating to the receipt and expenditure of public or other funds of the institution as well as information containing applications for any contracts made by it or between it and another public institution or private organization.

Mr. Longe criticised the Nigerian Prisons Service for not providing appropriate training for its officials to enhance their implementation of the Act and their appreciation of the public’s right of access to information in their custody, thereby violating section 13 of the Act.

He said there was no indication on the institution’s website or anywhere else showing that it has designated an appropriate officer to whom applications for information should be sent, indicating that the Nigerian Prisons Service is also in violation of Section 2(3)(f) of the Act, adding that even the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the oversight body for the implementation of the FOI Act, which maintains a database of such FOI Desk Officers of public institutions, has no record of compliance by the institution.

Launched by MRA in July 2017, the “FOI Hall of Shame” highlights public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances, and decisions.

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NSITF inducted into FOI ‘Hall of Shame’

ITREALMS:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has inducted the NigeriaSocial Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) into its “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame,” accusing the agency of keeping critical stakeholders in the dark by not making relevant information available to them, despite the provisions of the FOI Act, 2011, reports ITRealms.

MRA’s Programme Director, Mr.  Ayode Longe, in a press statement to ITRealms, contended that by its actions, the NSITF was undermining the FOI Act and thereby rendering even its own statutory mandates ineffective.  He noted that the NSITF was failing to comply with the provisions of the FOI Act and carrying out its operations in secrecy, arguing that under those circumstances, it could not hope to elicit the trust of workers who are expected to make monthly contributions from their salaries to it.

He said: “for an agency which says its mission is ‘to be proactive in providing social security protection and safety nets for all Nigerians against deprivations and income insecurity in accordance with national and international laws, conventions and world best practice,’ not to comply with the provisions of a key piece of legislation like the FOI Act is completely illogical; it can only mean that it is not being forthright and has no intention of working to fulfill this mission.”

Mr. Longe explained that for “the NSITF which receives pension contributions from Nigerian employees, invest such monies and is also expected to pay the various benefits to persons entitled to the benefits, it is anathema for it to conduct its affairs in secret and not carry contributors along on how it manages their monies.”

The NSITF evolved from the National Provident Fund (NPF), which was established by an Act of Parliament in 1961 to provide a poverty alleviation measure as required by convention No.102 of the International Labour Organization (ILO). It aims to protect private sector employees from financial difficulties in the event of old age, cessation of employment, invalidity or death.

The National Provident Fund transformed into the NSITF following recommendations by the Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialization (TCPC), now Bureau on Public Enterprise, for the partial commercialization of its activities in order to make it self-funded. In 1993, the Federal Government accepted the recommendation and promulgated what is now known as the NSITF Act to reflect its new role and objective. The Act vested all the assets and liabilities of the NPF Management Board in the new NSITF Management Board and in July 1994, the then Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity, launched the new scheme.

MRA noted that in total disregard of the provisions of Section 2(3) and (4) of the FOI Act, the NSITF failed to proactively publish most of the 16 important classes of information the Act requires it to publish without anyone making requests for the information.

The organization also pointed out that the NSITF has failed to designate any officer to whom requests for information under the FOI Act should be sent, in addition to failing to proactively publish the title and address of such appropriate officer of the institution.

Mr. Longe said records obtained from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation show that the NSITF has not submitted any report of its implementation of the FOI Act, when at this point, it should have submitted six of such reports to date.

This, he stressed, is in contravention of Section 29 (1) and (2) of the FOI Act and the Guidelines on the Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 issued by the Attorney General of the Federation.

He added that the NSITF is also not known to have conducted the training of its officials on the public’s right of access to information or records held by it as  provided for in the FOI Act and for the  effective implementation of the Act, again in contravention of Section 13 of the Act.

MRA called on the relevant committees of the National Assembly to call the NSITF to order by compelling it to comply with all its obligations under the FOI Act.

Launched in July 2017, the “FOI Hall of Shame” draws attention to public officials and institutions undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and decisions.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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2 Nigerians inducted into Presidential Youth Advisory Group

ITREALMS:

Two Nigerian youthful entrepreneurs have been inducted into the 9-man Presidential Youth Advisory Group (PYAG) recently set up by the African Development Bank (AfDB), reports ITRealms.

The award-winning author, Uzodinma Iweala, and the chief executive officer (CEO), Agrolay Ventures, Ada Osakwe, made the PYAG to be chaired by a Tanzanian CEO, Mara Group, Ashish Thakkar.

Other members of PYAG include Mamadou Toure, Founder / CEO, Africa 2.0 / Ubuntu Capital, Cameroon; Vanessa Moungar, Human and Social Development Director, AfDB and member of President Macron’s Presidential Council for Africa, Chad; Francine Muyumba, President, Panafrican Youth Union, Democratic Republic of Congo; Jeremy Johnson, Co-founder, Andela, USA; Clarisse Iribagiza, CEO, Hehe, Rwanda;  and Monica Musonda, CEO of Java Foods, Zambia.

PYAG, ITRealms gathered is comprised nine members under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions to the creation of employment opportunities for African youth.

On the rationale behind the setting up of the advisory group, President Adesina explained that they recognize the enormous amount of energy, creative and innovative thinking, and entrepreneurial excellence that many of the youth bring to the table.

“For this reason, the Bank must ensure that it is well advised by cutting-edge youth representatives on its policies, actions and programmes, for the benefit of Africa’s youth.

“The members of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group are expected to actively engage private sector partners, government leaders, civil society, donor partners, and other stakeholders; and support the significant amount of work that the Bank is already doing and promoting across the continent through its Jobs for Youth in Africa strategy,” Adesina said.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Pix: Group photo of PYAG members with AfDB President, Adesina.

15 Nigerians inducted into African Science Institute fellows

ITRealms:

Fifteen Nigerian scientists and members of the African Science Institute (ASI) have been inducted into organisation’s fellows in the last one year, reports ITRealms.

Also, ITRealms exclusively gathered that out of the 46 fellows ASI inducted in the last one year, that is, between August 2014 and August 31^st, 2015, there are 15 Nigerians as Fellows.

According to ASI president and chief executive officer, Lee O. Cherry, in August 2014 ASI inducted Nigerian Ngozi M. Otuonye, a Microbiologist and a food scientist, Dr. Oluwatooyin F. Osundahunsi.

By October 2014, Cherry said Nigeria recorded another two fellows, namely Dr. Oghenerobor Benjamin Akpor, who is an Environmental microbiologist and Muhammad Alkali, whose specialty is on Mobile and Satellite Communications.

Nigeria began the year with Dr. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, a Soil Physicst and Water Conservation joining the African Science Institute in January, just as in the month of February 2015, saw the Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and expert in Microbiology, Dr. Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu, join ASI Fellows alongside Zoology Parasitologist, Dr. Olaoluwa P. Akinwale.

By March 2015, ASI fellows from Nigeria include Dr. Bamidele Tolulope Odumosu, a Pharmaceutical Microbiologist, in addition to a chemist, Dr. Oladoja N. Abiola, and Dr. Adeniyi Adeneye, Medical Sociologist on public health.

Nigeria also recorded another two fellowers inducted into ASI in June 2015, including Dr. Kingsley Chiwuike Ukaoha, a Computer Scientist and Dr. Mojisola Oluwayemisi Adeniyi; a Atmospheric Physicist, while in July, Dr. Medina Omo Kadiri, a scientist in Plant Biology & Biotechnology was the sole candidate from Nigeria. Whereas, two computer scientists were inducted by August 31st 2015, namely Dr. Osakpanwan Edgar Osaghae, and Dr. Oladipo Francisca Onaolapo.

Other Fellows as detailed by Cherry comprised:

New ASI Fellows in August 2015 include:

* Jean Paul Kamdem, Ph.D. (Cameroon/Brazil): Biochemistry

* Rohan J. Banton, Ph.D. (USA): Mechanical Engineering

* Osakpanwan Edgar Osaghae, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Computer Science

* Oladipo Francisca Onaolapo, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Computer Science

New ASI Fellows in July 2015 include:

* Eligius Lyamuya, MD, MMed, PhD, FTAAS, FCPath (ECSA) (Tanzania): Deputy Vice Chancellor - Academic, Research & Consultancy; Microbiology and Immunology

* Francisca Mutapi, Ph.D. (Zimbabwe/England): Immunology & Infection Research

* Medina Omo Kadiri, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Plant Biology & Biotechnology

New ASI Fellows in June 2015 include:

* Kwaku Danso, Ph.D. (Ghana/USA): Electronic Engineering; Business Development and Management
 

* Kingsley Chiwuike Ukaoha, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Computer Science

* Robert Mitchell (USA): IT Management; Cyber Security

* Mojisola Oluwayemisi Adeniyi, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Atmospheric Physics

New ASI Fellows in May 2015 include:

* James Cates (USA): CEO and Founder, LOBI Group, LLC; Computer Science

* Kumi Rauf (USA): President of "I Love Being Black", the largest Black followers on Facebook; Computer Science

New ASI Fellows in April 2015 include:

* Robert T. Tshikhudo, Ph.D. (South Africa): Director of the DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC); Nanotechnology

* Assan Jaye, DVM, Ph.D. (Gambia): Viral Diseases; Immunology

* Al Davis (USA): Construction Project Development

* Abd Elmoneim Osman Elkhalifa, Ph.D. (Sudan): Nutritional Food Chemistry

* Stephen Elias Damson Nsimba, Ph.D. (Tanzania): Clinical Pharmacologist; Pharmaco-Epidemiologist

* Mona Mohamed Nasr, Ph.D. (Egypt): Computer Science

* Morris Kasigwa Agaba, Ph.D. (Tanzania): Molecular Genetics

New ASI Fellows in March 2015 include:

* Alexander Wooten, Ph.D. (USA): Soil and Water Pollution Remediation, Wetland biogeochemistry

* Samuel Nii Odai, Ph.D. (Ghana): Pro Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi; Hydraulics and Water Resources

* Bamidele Tolulope Odumosu, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Pharmaceutical Microbiology

* Oladoja N. Abiola, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Chemistry

* Adeniyi Adeneye, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Medical Sociology; Public Health

New ASI Fellows in February 2015 include:

* Angela Antoinette James, Ph.D. (South Africa): Science and Technology Education

* Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA); Microbiology

* Ibok Oduro, Ph.D. (Ghana): Food Science and Technology

* Olaoluwa P. Akinwale, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Zoology (Parasitology)

* Derege Kebede, M.D., Sc.D. (Ethiopia/RDC Congo): Epidemiology; Public Health

New ASI Fellows in January 2015 include:

* Fred Powell, FAIA (USA): Architect Executive

* Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Soil Physics and Water Conservation

New ASI Fellows in November 2014 include:

* Leonard E. Mboera, Ph.D. (Tanzania): Applied Entomology: Editor-in-Chief of the Tanzania Journal of Health Research; Associate Editor of the East African Journal of Public Health and Editorial Board Member of Rwanda Journal of Health Sciences and Tanzania Dental Journal

New ASI Fellows in October 2014 include:

* Oghenerobor Benjamin Akpor, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Environmental Sciences; Microbiology

* Muhammad Alkali, (Nigeria): Mobile and Satellite Communications

New ASI Fellows in September 2014 include:

* Ronald L Mallett, Ph.D. (USA): Theoretical Physics; Relativistic Astrophysics; Time Travel

* Aisha Elfaki Mohamed, Ph.D. (Sudan): Wildlife Medicine; Director of Wildlife Research Centre

* Charles Wood, Ph.D. (USA): Director, Nebraska Center for Virology; Microbiology and Chemistry

* Sidy Ba, Ph.D. (Mali): Chemical and Environmental Engineering

* Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Ph.D. (Ghana): Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of
Ghana; Entomology

* Protus Arrey Tarkang, Ph.D. (Cameroon): Biochemical Toxicology and Applied Pharmacognosy

* Preston Williams, III (Liberia/USA): Information Technology; Resource Allocation & System Dynamics

New ASI Fellows in August 2014 include:

* Kwame Afreh-Nuamah, Ph.D.,DIC. (Ghana): Entomology; Former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Research of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon.

* Dianah Ngonyamo-Majee, Ph.D. (Zimbabwe/USA): Agronomy; Biotechnology; 2012 - 2014 Vice President of the Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD)

* Ngozi M. Otuonye (Nigeria): Microbiology; Medical Laboratory Scientist

* Oluwatooyin F. Osundahunsi, Ph.D. (Nigeria): Food Science
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