ROLAC, SCRAP-C spreading FOI message in Nigeria - ITREALMS

MondayCommentary@ITREALMS:

From East to the West, North and South, the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption-ROLAC programme of the European Union and the Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against the Prevalence of Corruption - SCRAP-C programme of the United Kingdom Aid have been traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria, spreading the good news of the Freedom of Information Act.

For ROLAC, an anti-corruption programme funded by the European Union, but managed by the British Council, the journey started with an assessment of the use and implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2011. The assessment, conducted in collaboration with the Freedom of Information Coalition, Nigeria – FOICN and Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC on one hand, and the Federal Ministry of Justice on another hand, focused on four states of: Adamawa, Kano, Lagos and Anambra, and of course, the Federal capital territory for federal Public Institutions and civil society organisations.

The need for empirical data on the level of citizens’ knowledge and use of the FOI Act on one hand and the level of compliance with the provisions of the Act by public institutions on the other hand informed the decision of the ROLAC programme to support a Rapid Response Assessment on same. The Assessment of the level of FOI implementation and compliance among federal public institutions, as well as state public institutions in Adamawa, Kano, Lagos and Anambra was the crux of the study for public institutions. Structured Questionnaire, Observation and Personal Interview were the instruments used for data collection. The choice of the four states and the federal capital territory was informed by the fact that they are the focal states/areas of operation of the ROLAC programme.

The study was coordinated by the leadership of the Freedom of Information Coalition, Nigeria. Findings show that the knowledge gap on the provisions and use of the FOI Act remains wide, particularly, at the state level, requiring that deliberate steps be taken to enhance same.

According to the findings, the percentage level of awareness of public institutions on the FOI Act in Adamawa is 9%; Lagos- 20%; Kano -11%; Anambra -10%; while the federal capital territory is 35%.

On compliance, the percentage level of public institutions with the FOI Act in Adamawa is 0%; Lagos - 10%; Kano - 7%; Anambra - 0%, while the federal capital territory is 25%.

On the part of the Civil Society, about 90% of the respondents in Adamawa have no knowledge of the provisions and application of the FOI Act; 87% in Lagos; 93% in Kano and 91% in Anambra do not know the provisions and applications of the FOI Act.

On the use of the FOI Act, data gathered shows that 93% of respondents in Adamawa state have never made an FOI request; 87% in Lagos; 91% in Kano and 90% of civil society actors studied in Anambra have never made an FOI request.

The findings therefore informed ROLAC’s decision to, in collaboration with the Freedom of Information Coalition, Nigeria-FOICN, Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC and the Federal Ministry of Justice to commence an elaborate capacity building programme, targeting state and non-state actors in the areas studied.

The overall objective was to increase citizens’ demand for accountability and transparency from public institutions, through enhanced awareness and capacity on effective use of the FOI Act on the demand side (civil society); and to improve compliance and implementation of the FOI Act on the supply side (public institutions). So far, two states- Adamawa and Kano have benefited from the week-long capacity building exercise, which took stakeholders through the rudiments, provisions, application and all the elements of the FOI Act, 2011. Lagos State is next to benefit from the exercise. Following the trainings, excited Kano State Civil Society actors are firing from all corners, making demands on public institutions.

The ROLAC FOI trainings are delivered by the Chairman, Board of Governors, Freedom of Information Coalition, Nigeria- FOICN, Dr. Walter Duru, Secretary of the Board of FOICN, Longe Ayode and Mr. Benjamin Okolo, Head, FOI Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice, who always leads the Ministry’s team. Pwanakei Dala, ROLAC’s anti-corruption programme officer is always on ground to give support, while the ROLAC Staff in the focal states ensure that everything is in place for each of the trainings. ROLAC’s anti-corruption Programme Manager, Emmanuel Uche is always on ground to show leadership.

The highlights of the training are Paper presentations, practical FOI request writing by civil society participants; practical writing of responses to FOI requests by participants from public institutions, interactive and experience sharing sessions, questions and answers sessions, among others.

Speaking on the progress recorded so far, ROLAC’s Anti-Corruption Programme Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Uche expressed delight at the interest of citizens of the states to participate in governance, taking advantage of the FOI Act.

Uche, an anti-corruption expert described the Freedom of Information Act as the foundation stone for strengthening democratic values.

“The FOI Act is the most critical foundation stone for strengthening democratic values of any society. Democracy, which is also one of the core tenets of a free society is based on choice. Choice is not possible where citizens do not have perfect access to information on the available choices. Access to information law is one of the best things that have happened to Nigeria.”

Speaking on ROLAC’s interest in FOI, National Programme Manager, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, Mr. Danladi Plang described the Act as central to the work of the programme, following its capacity to entrench openness in governance.

“Well, ROLAC has three central themes - Criminal Justice, Anti-corruption and Access to Justice. Our work on the FOI supports and complements the work on anti-corruption, particularly, in the area of prevention. Increased citizens’ use of the FOI Act will improve transparency in the system. When public institutions realize that citizens now have a law that empowers them to ask questions about government business and get the answers they desire, they will be a bit more circumspect. There is no doubt that effective implementation of the FOI Act will prevent and reduce corruption in Nigeria”

Lamenting over the low compliance level with the Act, Plang identified low awareness on the existence and provisions of the Act as one of the challenges, promising that ROLAC will do more in spreading the message of the FOI Act. He added that the “FOI Act can help to open up government for citizens participation,” making a strong case for grassroots advocacy on the Act.

Frowning at the reluctance of some state governments to implement the FOI Act, Plang argued that “a reasonable government should encourage the citizens to participate in governance, if they are genuinely interested in the welfare of the citizens.”

Adding her voice, Component Manager on Enhancing Civil Society Engagement in Criminal Justice and Anti-Corruption Reforms, Toyosi Giwa described ROLAC’s Civil Society FOI engagements as strategic.

According to her, “for Civil Society to effectively engage the government, they need to have their capacity enhanced. Our interest in training Civil Society on the use of the FOI Act is aimed at deepening their understanding of the provisions and applications of the Act to enable them apply same effectively. Government is not usually too responsive to the citizens. One of the tools to hold the government accountable is the FOI Act. We are committed to enhancing citizens’ capacity on FOI Act to increase their participation in governance, with a view to ensuring that transparency is a culture in Nigeria’s public institutions.”

Impressed by the impact of the engagements so far, Giwa stressed: “Available statistics show that some of the civil society actors in the states we have trained are already using the law. This is very encouraging. Reports we are getting from Kano State, for instance are very encouraging. It shows the quality of engagement; but we are not there yet. We want to start seeing the outcome of those FOI requests and positive responses from public institutions.”

Continuing, she stressed that “low knowledge and application of the FOI Act is as a result of opaqueness of government. If government is open, it should even be promoting the FOI act. The ongoing training is timely. The approach of ROLAC is also very good. Training public institutions alongside civil society is a brilliant approach, so they are on the same page. A lot of awareness still needs to be created.”

She however advised civil society actors in Nigeria to remain steadfast in their efforts in speaking for the people.

In another development, as part of its support towards ensuring openness in public service and effective citizens’ participation in governance, the Strengthening Citizens’ Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption - SCRAP-C Project organised a 3-day training (in three different locations) for civil society organisations and citizens in Nigeria on the use of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

The first phase of the training was held in three locations: Lagos (for south-west participants), Uyo (for south-south participants) and Enugu (for south east participants). The training was carefully designed to build the capacity of participants to have a working knowledge of the purpose, provisions, application and benefits of the FOI Act. It was further intended that at the end of the training, participants drawn from across the Southeast, South-South and South Western states of Nigeria, were empowered with enhanced capacity in the use of the FOI Act. It was aimed at deepening participants’ understanding of the law.

The training was delivered by four resource persons: Newton Otsemaye, Project Manager, SCRAP-C; Chairman, Board of Governors, Freedom of Information Coalition, Nigeria and Executive Director, Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC, Dr. Walter Duru; Dr. Tope Olaifa of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu of ‘Say No Campaign’.

Speaking on the relevance of the training, SCRAP-C Project Manager, Newton Otsemaye explains:

“SCRAP-C is interested in enhancing the capacity of civil society to participate actively in the anti-corruption war. The FOI Act is a veritable tool for the citizens to hold the government accountable. The idea is that ensuring that the citizens understand the provisions and application of the FOI Act is one sure way of increasing their participation by asking relevant questions regarding government activities. We are interested in ensuring that the citizens take advantage of the FOI Act to make the government more accountable.”

The SCRAP-C project is a 5-year UKaid supported project through the Anti-Corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) Programme. The project seeks to address corruption through change in social norms and attitudes that encourage corruption in Nigeria. The project is managed by a consortium of three National Civil Society Organisations: ActionAid Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development, and Centre for Communication and Social Impact.

With the great efforts of ROLAC and SCRAP-C in FOI implementation, donor agencies have shown that they are indeed interested in the development of Nigeria by supporting initiatives that will open up government to the citizens.

ROLAC, in addition to operating at the federal capital-Abuja, has four focal states of Adamawa, Kano, Lagos and Anambra. SCRAP-C has six states- Akwa Ibom, Bornu, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano/Jigawa and Lagos. Other donor agencies should quickly take steps to support the spread of the message of the FOI Act to other parts of the federation.

Citizens must therefore take advantage of the FOI Act to participate in governance, hold the government accountable and secure the future of the citizens yet unborn.

Until citizens own the anti corruption war, it may not go far. One sure instrument for an effective war against corruption in Nigeria is the FOI Act. All Nigerians must therefore embrace it, take advantage of it and participate in the business of governance.

Public Institutions/office holders themselves must realize that they manage the people’s resources on trust. Any government that claims to have the interest of the citizens at heart must therefore support the vigorous implementation of Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act.

A culture of transparency and accountability in governance is the surest solution to Nigeria’s woes. This, the FOI Act can achieve. No genuine anti-corruption war can be won without the vigorous implementation of the FOI Act.

Let’s implement it NOW!

*Contributed by Walter Duru, PhD

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Ebola Containment: Role of ICT

Features@ITRealms:

From Sawyer nemesis to global positioning:

ACROSS the African continent and the world at large one thing everyone seem to be focused on is how to contain the dreadful Ebola Virus from further spreading, especially through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, reports ITRealms.

The importance of ICT tools mostly for education of the populace or public enlightenment on specific issues like Ebola Virus cannot be over-looked, hence, it was not surprising for Nigeria to allude its success in curtailing the spread of this virus since the visit of Liberian Patrick Sawyer to Lagos.

ITRealms recalls that Ebola virus was introduced into Nigeria on 20 July 2014 when an infected Liberian Patrick Sawyer arrived by aeroplane into Lagos. Mr. Sawyer was declared dead at the FirstCity Hospital Obalende, five (5) days later. This also set off a chain of transmission that infected a total of 19 people, of which 7 died.

ICT tools to the rescue:

Some experts have classified ICT tools to include devices and objects used in ICT sector to deliver invaluable person-to-person service moreso instantly; for example the computers, mobile phones and cell phone towers, televisions, video conferencing software, radios, laptops, Digital Video Display (DVDs), network of hardware and software, satellite systems as well as various services and applications associated with the aforementioned.

Taking the lead on these tools, ITRealms gathered, is the software application associated with a given campaign, especially at this era of Ebola epidemic across the world but spurred by social media applications.

According to the Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson,a combination of social media tools was instrumental in Nigeria’s fight to contain the Ebola virus. Speaking in a policy statement delivered at the ongoing International Telecommunications Union ITU 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) in Busan, Republic of Korea, Dr. Johnson told delegates made up of Ministers and senior government officials from across the globe, that with Ebola, time is of essence to the fact that mobile device apps helped in reducing reporting times of infections by 75 per cent.

“Test results were scanned to tablets and uploaded to emergency databases and field teams got text message alerts on their phones informing them of the results,” she revealed.

The combinations that worked for Nigeria:

Dr. Johnson restated that the combination of the internet and mobile cellular phones has opened up tremendous opportunities for countries like Nigeria. Maintaining that there are vertical increases in mobile use, which has been driven by a number of factors, particularly, the additional ways in which mobile phones are being used in Nigeria.

She stressed that beyond conducting voice conversations, mobile phones are often the preferred channel for receiving data and for conducting transactions in Nigeria thereby making phones an indispensable tool used as-cameras, wallets, shops, music players, movie screens, and information or service centres of Nigerians.

Nigeria’s policy focus Johnson noted, is in line with the reality of the mobile internet revolution spreading across the globe- thus, the Ministry of Communication Technology is looking to create a viable environment for the proliferation of lower priced devices, increased investment in network infrastructure, and increased availability of spectrum for mobile broadband, in the knowledge that these will further drive growth in the nation’s ICT sector.

A path to National ICT Policy implementation:

Johnson also disclosed that through the implementation of the National ICT Policy, National Broadband Roadmap, and Guidelines for Nigerian Content in ICT, the Ministry is bringing greater clarity and predictability to the Nigerian ICT sector.

She stated that in the past four years, Nigeria has seen mobile subscription increase from 87 million active SIM cards to over 131 million and mobile internet subscription stood at 67 million as at June 2014.

The Ministry’s policy framework, Johnson said aligns with the ITU’s Strategic Plan for 2016-2019, particularly its identified goals and targets of growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and innovation and partnership.

ICTs adds 12.05 to GDP:

The ICT sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is growing and was about 10.44 per cent in 2013. The sector also indirectly impacts GDP through its influence on other key sectors; for example, in the 2013, ICTs were responsible for 12.05 per cent of the value added by the Finance and Insurance sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In terms of social growth, Mrs. Johnson added that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are helping government to meet health objectives and amplifying benefits in the education and agriculture sectors respectively.

According to Johnson, the ITU’s growth priority of enabling and fostering access to and increase use of telecommunications through ICTs, resonates with Nigeria, both economically and socially. 

Nigeria is also using telecommunications and ICTs to build a more inclusive society. Just as she said, the Broadband initiative which Nigeria is currently implementing across technologies and at various levels of governance, aligns with the Union’s priority of bridging the digital divide and providing broadband for all. Furthermore, these initiatives, Johnson reiterated are mindful of the needs of women and girls, as well as other marginalised groups of the Nigerian society.

Nigeria is Ebola free says WHO:

Although the successful containment encouraged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to tell the world on October 20, 2014 that it has satisfied Nigeria to be free of Ebola outbreak.

According to WHO recommendations, the end of an Ebola virus disease outbreak in a country can be declared once 42 days have passed and no new cases have been detected. The 42 days represents twice the maximum incubation period for Ebola (21 days). This 42-day period starts from the last day that any person in the country had contact with a confirmed or probable Ebola case.

“Today, 20 October, Nigeria reached that 42-day mark and is now considered free of Ebola transmission,” WHO officials declared, and commended the Nigerian government’s strong leadership and effective coordination of the response that included the rapid establishment of an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

How Nigerians mobilized against Ebola:

WHO equally pointed out that when the first Ebola case was confirmed in July, health officials immediately repurposed technologies and infrastructures from WHO and other partners to help find cases and track potential chains of transmission of Ebola virus disease.

WHO, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and other partners supported the Nigerian government with expertise for outbreak investigation, risk assessment, contact tracing and clinical care.

Strong public awareness campaigns, teamed with early engagement of traditional, religious and community leaders, also played a key role in successful containment of this outbreak.

ITRealms gathered from Fadéla Chaib, Communications Officer, World Health Organization that the Nigerian government and staff in the WHO country office are not unaware that the country remains vulnerable to another imported case. The surveillance system remains at a level of high alert.

Nigeria has revised its national preparedness and response plan to ensure that the country is well prepared for other imported cases of the disease.

Today, there is regular campaign in the media across the country on Ebola and despite the containment, these campaign have not stopped, thus commendable.

Ebola hotspots:

ITRealms further gathered that WHO has develop partnerships to introduce serum treatment in Ebola hotspots such as Liberia, which is currently experiencing the highest incidence of Ebola infections.

Serum, BBC reports, is simply blood from recovered patients which contains antibodies which can help fight off disease when transfused into sick patients.

WHO Assistant Director General for Health System and Innovation, Dr. Marie Kieny, was quoted as saying that a facility in Liberia may be ready to start harvesting and treatment of serum in a matter of weeks.

“There are partnerships which are starting to be put in place to have capacity in the three countries to safely extract plasma and make preparation that can be used for the treatment of infective patients,” Dr Kieny said.

Nigerians applaud federal government:

For many other Nigerians, one good thing about the use of enlightenment tools like ICT to deliver information needed as far as the containment effort of the government was concerned in the country was the ability of the political class to draw a line between politics and true enlightenment and public good, coupled with prayers of Nigerians, who have been previously ranked as very religious nation.

Speaking to ITRealms, Emma Okonji believes that the efforts of the government and leadership of the country, Nigerian’s prayers were heard because even churches took extra steps to augment their faith in prayers by introducing sanitizer usage among members.

He cited an instance with the Catholic Church in Lagos State Archdiocese as waking up to its responsibility to stop the direct giving of Blessed Sacrament into the mouth of faithful, instead education was introduced for Catholics to receive their sacrament by hand and take it themselves.

This position, he said, was endorsed by the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and was not surprised that other churches and religion played their parts on this without undue sentiment.

ITRealms notes that sooner than fear of the Ebola virus was made known across Nigeria, Catholic priests were directed by the Bishops to by-pass the traditional rite of peace during masses.

The rite of peace equally known as ‘sign of peace,’encompasses shaking hands of fellow congregants, which tends to build religious communion and mutual charity among members, according to Catholic Online.

Conclusion:

Although one thing that has started to emerge is the politics of Ebola containment in the Nigerian polity, which follows the Federal Government’s global recognition, especially by WHO for this achievement, but the Lagos State government which is under a different party - the All Progressive Congress (APC) party claimed its effort superseded that of the federal under another, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

One may not be taken by surprise come 2015, that Ebola and its containment could assume the political life trend. Only time shall tell as the desire of Africans and Nigerians remain on the sustained containment of Ebola likewise other epidemics in the world.

 

The Nigerian nation must not forget the warning of WHO that Nigeria remains vulnerable to another imported case, invariably, due to the way other African countries and their citizens, especially in the West Africa sub-region view and see Nigeria as their own United States in Africa.

Therefore, the surveillance system should remain at a level of high alert as if WHO never gave any clearance.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

 

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