Right groups advocate for FOI awareness

They stated this at a one-day workshop for middle cadre officers of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) on the FOI in Abuja, as part of the second phase of capacity building efforts.The first phase was held on November 29, last year for top officers of the NPS, from the rank of controller of prisons to […]

They stated this at a one-day workshop for middle cadre officers of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) on the FOI in Abuja, as part of the second phase of capacity building efforts.
The first phase was held on November 29, last year for top officers of the NPS, from the rank of controller of prisons to controller general.
One of the resource persons, Barrister Maxwell Kadiri, legal officer, Africa Programme, Open Society Justice Initiative said that the objective of the workshop was to further promote and sensitize NPS officers of all cadres on the rationale of the FOI Act, highlighting the act’s critical provisions and the institutional obligations it creates.
During the workshop, NPS officers were exposed to the implications of the FOI Act, including the overriding benefits of implementation and cost of non-compliance.
Participants considered the application of the exemptions under the FOI Act, with respect to the particular mandate of the NPS.
Kadiri mentioned that the FOI Act gives adequate protection regarding security, law enforcement and investigations, but added that the application of the valid exemptions under the act are not to be applied arbitrarily and in a blanket-manner, but must always be evaluated in context on a case-by-case basis.