What is the function of your committee?
The House Committee on Reform s of Government Institutions is principally set up to implement the FOI Act (Freedom of Information Act) which is about letting Nigerians know that, they have the right to know certain things about their government.
When our attention is brought to moribund institutions we take it up with the assembly and whoever is supervising it and then we advise the executive. Ours is to make the laws and then the executive would merge them where they have become irrelevant and continue to be a drain pipe to the Nigeria economy.
Nigerians will like to know the challenges your committee have faced and how effective it has been since inception?
Prior to the coming of FOI Act, we had a law called Official Secret Act. It was the monster left for us by the colonial master in 1911 and the coming in force of Freedom of Information Act when Mr. President signed it into law in 2011 is to upturn the Official Secret Act. It is a big challenge to ask people to forget about the whole way they do things and start in a new way.
The officials of government prefer to act in secrecy. They do things that they don’t want the public to know. They do it as if it is their personal act. For instance, a policeman will arrest somebody that is quarreling with his girlfriend and he will lock him up for seven days; he will not want to give you reasons why the man is arrested. We now try to let them know that, you cannot do that anymore.
The FOI Act throws the activities of government and their officials open; that whatever you do must be according to the law. For now my committee has embarked on enlightenment. I personally do not believe in law by ambush. We need to let Nigerians know that things have changed and then know those who want to resist the law and prescribe sanctions for them. There is also law to punish those who want to punish their subordinate for disclosing information.
But Nigerians are still complaining of not having access to information from government even with the law in place; how do we make top government officials obey this law?
The law has made it easier for those who want to get information. If you write and seek for information and that information is not given to you within the specified seven days as expressed in the law, you have the right to go to court. The judge does not necessarily need to see the person you are suing; the law permits the judge to give you a summary decision compelling the person holding that information, in as much as that information falls within the context of the law should release it to you without delay.
The information that you cannot access is clearly shown in the law, that information is something you will appreciate; it has to do with security. It is not everything; the way Mr. President runs the government day to day is not everything that will be given to you.
If Mr. President makes a budget to buy furniture, it is not part of the information that can be revealed. If it information about somebody trying to overthrow government in connivance with other people at large, the law says that information cannot be released until investigations is completed.
So that you do not jeopardize the investigations. I see the press as the enemies of the information act because they have refused to join in the enlightenment forum. Most times when we hold seminars and try to tell people their right, I still see people come to tell me that, they are gentlemen of the press, anything for the press? They want to me pay them for the work I am doing for them.
I have consistently accused the press of subverting the FoI Act. The press is the enemy of itself, and they only come out and name the FoI Act when they are arrested or molested. As soon as that goes down, they forget about it.
How successful has the law been since it was passed?
For those who know it, I can tell you that it has been a success. I recently receive a letter from somebody who wrote the PPRA on the subsidy record, the PPRA knowing the law quickly replied him with the information and then copied me as the chairman of the committee. Though the reply is not detailed, but there was an effort. The problem is that, Nigerians are not willing to sacrifice a moment to follow the due process and get the information they want.
Are there some categories of people that are exempted in the application of this law?
Nobody is exempted from this law; in fact we are preparing a memo for the Clerk to disclose certain formation to me. I have already written the accountant general of the federation to disclose what are the releases they have done to the national assembly and then I am asking the National Assembly Clerk how they have disbursed the money. I want the press to join us in this task by asking the ministries what they have done with the budget.
I saw some funny things in the budget over-head, four billion naira (#4b) capital projects, twp billion naira (#2b) how do you use four billion naira to supervise a project of two billion naira? How can this be justified? Give us details to show Nigerians. I am not to quarry them, Nigerians will quarry them. That is the benefit of the FoI Act.
As a member of the Aviation Committee, Nigerians have criticized the lifting of the suspension on the DANA airline. What is your take on this?
Our committee does not see to the day-to day running of the executive affairs; they have the right to conduct their own preliminary investigation and if from what they have, it is proved that the airline is not technically deficient, there is no reason why they cannot lift the ban for them to fly…
But what was the outcome of your investigation?
Our investigation is not yet concluded; we are still looking at the evidences. Whatever they have done will not have any effect on our recommendations. But we don’t have the technical knowhow to investigate the technical aspect of aircraft in the committees.
But personally, what do you think is the problem with our aviation sector?
I will not want to comment prematurely as a member of the committee that is investigating these matters.
What is your take on the proposed introduction of the #5,000 note.
I vehemently object to it. It does not make sense. The CBN governor as professional as he may claim to be as an economist is yet to convince me as a layman that after he has told us that we are moving into a cashless society, that he will now come and tell us that he is introducing five thousand naira note so that people can carry more money. It amaze me when I watch them on television saying ,the #5, 000 note will make it easy for transportation and carrying more
Are you saying that it is Sanusi that is a bad economist or the people that are against him?
I don’t have a degree in economics, but I have my head together. By the time we print N5,000 note, we will soon print N10,000, N20, 000 and on and on. Before we know it, we will become another Zimbabwe. I have three trillion Zimbabwe money in my house, when I made enquiries; it was not up to one naira.
There was lot of speculations that a lot of people smuggle millions of naira outside. So if you now reduce it, they will have no choice than to bring back all they took.
I don’t know which one to believe, but I know that it is senseless to continue to print #5,000 notes.
There were reports that some prominent Igbo leaders have endorsed President Jonathan for 2015, are you in support of this move
I have not heard that, but individuals have their right to do their thing. I have not attended any meeting where they discussed it. And whenever it is discussed, I will be able to say my mind. But I think when a man says something; he should keep to his words.
To save this country from anarchy and chaos, there is every need for Mr. President to withdraw and hold credible elections.
If a sitting president is not running for elections, the tendency that we will have credible elections for once will happen; a poll where we will have bio-data. When you put your National Identity card, you information will appear and when you put your thumb print, nobody can use It again. You lose an election; you will have no need to go to court. That is the kind of society I want to leave for my kids.
Leadership
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