By George Mgbeleke

Following a groundswell of insiders complaints about alleged corruption amongst top officials of the federal ministry of information and National orientation, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA(HURIWA) penned a freedom of information request in writing demanding clarifications regarding allegations ranging from a plot to auction away the newly bought and only available functional SUV jeep meant for the official use of the permanent secretary.

In a statement signed and made available to Daily Echoes Media by groups National Coordinator Other major accusations received by HURIWA from more than a dozen senior offials of the Federal ministry of Information and National Orientation located at the radio house in Area eleven Garki Abuja, includes payments to top officials of the sum of over one million Naira per month as fuel allowance- an amount that is higher than the recommended
by the Revenue Mobilisatpion Allocation and Fiscal Commission just as one of the top officials incharge of the accounts is being accused of extorting money from contractors and consultants working for the agency just as the said officer allegedly receives the alleged bribes using his wife’s account and he will be disengaging from service soon (April) after serving out the statutory period.

HURIWA reached out to the said officer but he hung on his phone after seeking and knowing why HURIWA initiated the call. The next day, one of his staff called HURIWA’S office to report that someone used HURIWA’S line to call his boss.

Besides, there is allegation that some officials entitled to have Personal Assistants rather than draw such personnel from the staff pool of the ministry, employed their cousins as personal assistanrs who gets emoluments similar to that of a Deputy Director.

There are a plethora of other cases of fraud and financial indiscretions reported to HURIWA by insiders, but the minister of information and National Alhaji Muhammed Idriss received our letter dated February 10th even as in the FOI request, we made specific requests, but the minister of information and National Orientation simply ignored us and refused to reply but rather sent a Deputy Director, Protocol and Public Relations to invite us for a one-on -one discussion which HURIWA rejected on the ground that our request was clear, unambiguous and specific on demands to questions of integrity and credibility deficits in the administration of the public finance domeciled at the ministry of information and National Orientation.

Specifically, in the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST by HURIWA, the following requests were made:

“We write you this request under the Freedom of Information Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are a frontline pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group and we would want to be furnished with Information on:

(1) is there a plan by the ministry to auction the only functional SUV jeep which the Permanent Secretary of the ministry is entitled to use as the official vehicle? If yes, please is the bidding process competitive and what are the identities of the CSOs observing the process?

(2) How does the ministry pay petrol allowances to the officials from the minister, the Permanent secretary and the directors? To whose bank account and how much is paid? Is it lawful for your officials to get the payment through an account owned by the relative of the officer?

(3) Kindly furnish us with the names of Personal Assistants to the Honourable minister and the Permanent secretary. What are their status in the ministry? Are they Permanent staff of the Ministry and on what level? What is their monthly take home pay?

(4) How are the contractors paid in your ministry and what are the safeguards to ensure transparency and accountability?

(3) The ministry reportedly sent a sports delegation to the civil service game in Adamawa late last year. How much was their sponsorship fund?

Sir, be reminded that the FOI law in the beginning provisions averred as follows:
1. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or
request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any
public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.
(2) An applicant under this Act needs not demonstrate any specific interest in the information being applied for.
(3) Any person entitled to the right to information under this Act, shall have the right to institute proceedings in
the Court to compel any public institution to comply with the provisions of this Act.
2. (1) businesses.
A public institution shall ensure that it records and keeps information about all its activities, operations and
(2) A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a
manner that facilitates public access to such information.
(3) A public institution shall cause to be published in accordance with subsection (4) of this Section, the
following information –
(a) a description of the organization and responsibilities of the institution including details of the
programmes and functions of each division, branch and department of the institution;
(b) a list of all –
(i) Classes of records under the control of the institution in sufficient detail to facilitate the exercise
of the right to information under this Act, and
(ii) Manuals used by employees of the institution in administering or carrying out any of the
programmes or activities of the institution;
(c) a description of documents containing final opinions including concurring and dissenting opinions as
well as orders made in the adjudication of cases;
(i) substantive rules of the institution
(ii) statements and interpretations of policy which have been adopted by the institution,
(iii) final planning policies, recommendations, and decisions;
(iv) factual reports, inspection reports, and studies whether prepared by or for the institution;

Sir, this request is for public good.”

Reacting to the spurning of the FOI REQUEST by the minister of information and National Orientation, HURIWA described it as unfortunate and shocking that the supposed public eyes of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is violating a binding law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that seeks to promote OPENNESS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY in the admunistration of public finance by public office holders.

HURIWA said it will report the allegations to antigraft agencies to investigate. HURIWA said as soon as the FOI letter reached the ministry of information and National orientation, it was alleged that all the relevant files on the ongoing auction of the new SUV bought for the permanent secretary, disappeared from the offices in the ministry. The said top official whose exit is imminent is alleged to be scheming to buy the SUV at ridiculous give away purchasing price just as the public auction was never transparent. “These are allegations but the anti-corruption agencies would have to investigate and determine if the allegations are credible or not.

By Our Correspondent

There was a lamentation Monday at the Jerome Udoji State Secretariat, Awka as civil servants in Anambra State decry cut in their February salaries for falling to show up for work.

Recall that the state Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo had in January announced a pro-rata salary payment system with deductions from salaries of civil servants that fail to come to work on Mondays which had earlier been declared a working day following the cancellation of sit-at-home.

At the state Secretariat, the state capital some workers lamented huge deductions from their salaries that did not tally with the number of Mondays they failed to show up for work.

One of the workers who spoke on condition of anonymity said that a worker in his ministry received only N100 as payment for February, after deductions.

The staff who is from the Ministry of Information lamented that out of a total of his over N80,000 salary, he received just N3,500.

He said: “One of my colleagues said that she received her salary with N10,000 cut off from it. The cuts are irregular, but I think there were mistakes in the computing because some people who missed work only once or twice had huge deductions from their salaries.”

In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor confirmed to journalists that the deductions were punishment for failure to come to work on Mondays.

He said: “The salary cut is a punishment for failure to come to work on Mondays. The instruction was that when you come to work on Mondays, you clock in, and, at the close of work, you clock out. That is to show that you came to work.

“But, if you came to work on Mondays but you didn’t clock in, and, didn’t clock out, it means that you didn’t come to work because there is no evidence to show that you came to work.”

By David Owei ,Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has reiterated his commitment to executing infrastructure projects across the state.

He said his desire for doing such projects was to improve on the living standards of citizens of the State.

The governor stated this in Ayakoro community, home town of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku at the weekend during the 68th anniversary celebration of the historic relocation of the community from its old location to their present settlement.

The annual festival tagged, ‘Eyal Obeyin’, commemorates the community’s historic relocation from its old settlement due to worsening erosion in 1958.

According to the governor, when infrastructure projects are executed in the rural communities, people could live there while working in the state capital and return home safely.

He noted that it was based on this notion that his administration was constructing then Yenagoa-Angiama-Oporoma-Ubie road, the Akaba-Okodi road and others across the state.

He said: “Upon our swearing-in in 2020 I became a Covid-19 Governor. Remember the issue of Covid, and shortly after that in 2022 the state experienced the worst flooding in which we’re totally cut-off from the rest of the country.

“I visited all the 105 political wards of the state to see the impact of the flood in our communities across the state. What I saw in Ayakoro then wasn’t different from what I saw in other communities affected by the flood.

“Today we can see a new Ayakoro, courtesy of what my brother and friend, the MD/CEO NDDC is doing. Some people like talking down on others. But if you investigate properly you’ll find out that they are the ones doing what they accuse others of. I don’t believe in running people down. We must stop that kind of politics.

“Ayakoro is one of the benefiting communities of the Akaba-Okodi road project. And that road has gone far. I don’t think that from the point the road has reached to Ayakoro community is up to 2km. We’re determined to develop Bayelsa state with infrastructural projects”.
He promised that once the Gas Turbine is commissioned in March 2026, Ayakoro will be the first community to be beneficiary.

Earlier in his speech, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly referred to as Obi Cubanna who doubles as Chairman of the Cubanna group commended the Ayakoro community for maintaining their culture and tradition with the festival.

Chief Iyiegbu described cultural fiestas as veritable tools for attracting tourists and investments, saying what he has witnessed in the community depicts love and bonding as well as shows how peaceful the community is.

In his remarks, while commending the governor for projects initiated and executed by his administration in the community and other parts of the state, the MD/CEO, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku also praised the Bayelsa State Chief Executive for finding time to attend this year’s event.

He further appealed that more projects be awarded and carried out by the government in the community to complement existing ones executed by the NDDC and the governor’s administration.

He said: “Your Excellency, the secondary school building standing close to this arena is a project done by your administration. As community while we appreciate what you’ve done for us, we also want to appeal that you carry out more projects in this community so as to complement the existing ones carried out by your administration and the NDDC”.

Earlier, the Chairman of the community’s Council of Chiefs, Chief Pureaziba Akpoti gave a highlight of the festival, noting that prior to the formal relocation of the community to its present location, its people were scared of that part of the community as it was a deep forest which the people held the believed that spirits and other dreaded creatures lived.

Chief Akpoti said: “It took prayers, and consultation with a spiritualists for the community to successfully cross over to this new site in 1958. This place used to be a forest in which our people held onto the believe that spirits and other dangerous creatures lived”.