Delta To Domesticate FOI Act

The Delta House of Assembly yesterday commenced the process of domesticating the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) following the recommendation of its Committee on Information.

The recommendations are contained in a report presented by the House Committee on Information in Asaba through its Chairman, Mr Johnson Erijo.

Erijo said that the committee visited the Federal Ministry of Information and Radio House on Jan. 22, where they met with the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Kehinde Ajoni.

Erijo said that Ajoni noted that since the FOI Act was enacted under the Concurrent Legislative List, its scope was accordingly shared between the Federal Government and the respective 36 states.

“The permanent secretary went further to reiterate that this state of affair is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, it applies to all countries operating a Federal System of Government.”

Erijo said that besides the advice by the permanent secretary, the committee also sought legal opinion from the state Ministry of Justice.

According to the committee, the ministry is favourably disposed to the domestication of the Act in the state.

It, therefore, recommended that the state House of Assembly should go ahead and domesticate the Freedom of Information Act based on the advice received.

It noted since three states in the Federation: Ekiti, Lagos and Kwara, had domesticated the FOI Act, Delta should also follow suit.

Our correspondent reports that the recommendation was unanimously adopted by the House.