N-Assembly won’t pass FOI Bill, says Rep – Vanguard
November 3, 2009 by Bunmi Awolusi
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill may afterall be shelved by the National Assembly, a member of the House of Representatives, Ahman Pategi (PDP/ Kwara) said yesterday.
Mr. Pategi who spoke at a World Bank Training Forum for Journalists, said most of his colleagues were against the Bill, which they view as “press bill”.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives had three times rejected the Bill on the floor.
The lawmakers think the Bill will be a witch-hunt tool for the media against the political establishment if passed into law.
In his response to some questions by the Canadian moderator of the forum, Chris Cobb, Pategi explained that the nation’s politicians, whether in office or out of office, are wary of granting the media access to all kinds of information.
