Ukah Assures Journalists, Stakeholders Of Unhindered Access To Govt Policies

Deltata State Government says it will continue to ensure that journalists and other stakeholders in the state have unhindered access to information on its policies and programmes in compliance with the Freedom of InformationAct 2011.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Patrick Ukah stated this in Asaba at a workshp
on popularization of FOI Act organized by the Federal Information Chapel of NUJ, Delta State Council.

Ukah ,who asserted that the state government had decided to make open all its activities,
encouraged journalists to take advantage of it to access information on the state website
on the SMART Agenda of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration.

The Commissioner, represented by Chief Information Officer and Editor, Ministry
Newsroom Bulletin, Mr Churchill Oyowe, said, ‘’ ….everything about the state budget is on the website, and there is no need for people to say we don’t have information and start speculating”

He challenged the regulatory body for the practice of journalism in the country to sanitize the profession and ensure that it is not an all-comer affair.

While commending the organisers of the workshop, Mr Ukah noted that it would open and enhance the understanding of participants on the contents of the Freedom of Information Act, saying.”I believe if we follow the responsibilities of journalists religiously as enshrined in the FOI Act, we will be helping in good governance and deepening
democracy.”

In a paper presentation, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Delta State Council,
Comrade Michael Ikeogwu titled: “Popularization of Freedom of Information Act 2911,” he urged media practitioners
to wake up to their statutory responsibility and deploy the FOI Act in the discharge
of their duties.

According to him, the FOI Act will only remain a beautiful work of art and good for book shelves like every other government unimplemented policies if no deliberate effort is made to domicile the Act in the minds of Nigerians.
He noted that lack of concerted
and sustained media campaign remained the bane of driving home the essence of the FOI Act and how it could help redirect the minds of Nigerians towards government, governance, easy access to information and rights of the citizenry to participatory governance.

Another resource person, Mr Geoffrey Ubaka, noted with dismay that since 2011 when the FOI Bill was signed into law, not much had changed in terms of access to information
due to what he described as operational environment.

He also observed that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) had not educated and sensitized people enough on the provisions of the FOI Act, stressing that efforts should be intensified by critical stakeholders to make it active.
In his address, the Convener and Chairman, Federal Information Chapel of NUJ, Delta State Council, Comrade Henry Illoba, said the workshop was to create awareness among practising journalists and other critical stakeholders on the Provisions of the FOI Act as part of activities to mark the Chapel Day.