[kictanet] Freedom of Information Bill Advances in Nigeria

[joseph kihanya]

Dear All,

Looks like we may only be fifth after all.

Kihanya

--- Justice Initiative
<info at mail.justiceinitiative.org> wrote:

> Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:08:45 -0500 (EST)
> To: kihanyajn at yahoo.com
> Subject: Freedom of Information Bill Advances in
> Nigeria
> From: "Justice Initiative"
> <info at mail.justiceinitiative.org>
> 
> For immediate release
> 
>  Contact: Maxwell Kadiri +234 803 304 0558 (Abuja)
>  David Berry +1 212 548 0385 (New York)
> 
>  FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL ADVANCES IN NIGERIA
> 
>  Following Adoption by Parliament, Bill Awaits
> Presidential Signature
> 
>  Abuja, February 22, 2007—The Open Society Justice
> Initiative today
> hailed the Nigerian Parliament's final approval of a
> harmonized
> freedom of information bill and called on President
> Olusegun Obasanjo
> to sign it into law quickly.
> 
>  The bill, if it becomes law, will guarantee
> Nigerian citizens the
> right to access government-held information. Nigeria
> is set to become
> just the fourth African nation with a freedom of
> information law,
> following South Africa, Uganda, and Angola.
> 
>  "This is a significant moment in Nigeria's
> history," said Maxwell
> Kadiri, a staff attorney with the Justice
> Initiative's Abuja office.
> "With President Obasanjo's signature, this new law
> should set Nigeria
> on the path to more open and more accountable
> government."
> 
>  The bill has been pending in Parliament since 1999.
> The Nigerian
> House of Representatives approved one version of the
> bill in 2004,
> and the Senate unanimously approved a slightly
> different version in
> late 2006. The two versions were reconciled and
> adopted by the full
> Parliament yesterday. Now the bill requires the
> assent of President
> Obasanjo in order to become law. The Justice
> Initiative and other
> advocates expressed hope that this step would take
> place without
> delay.
> 
>  The bill's passage is a significant victory for
> Nigeria's freedom of
> information advocates, who have championed its
> passage for over eight
> years. It is also an impetus for other African
> nations to enact
> similar laws and for those nations that already have
> freedom of
> information laws to enforce them more vigorously.
> 
>  "This bill enables the Obasanjo administration to
> claim as its
> legacy the foundations of open and transparent
> government in Nigeria.
> President Obasanjo has always said he wants to
> change the country for
> the better and ensure the people's business is
> done," said Kadiri.
> "Through this bill, he can realize this ambition. We
> look forward to
> his signing it into law at the earliest possible
> opportunity."
> 
>  The URL for this page is:
>
http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103632
>
{http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103632}
> 
> 
>  
> 
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