The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a suit against the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for ignoring a Freedom of Information request.
Following the information request, the Ministry was to “provide information about the names of high ranking public officials from whom public funds were recovered and the circumstances under which funds were recovered, as well as the exact amount of funds recovered from each public official.”
The suit, signed by SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, was filed at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi on Friday.
The suit reads in part: “By virtue of Section 1(1) of the FOI Act 2011, the Plaintiff is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution.
“Under the FOI, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or agency to whom the application is under a binding legal obligation to provide the Plaintiff/Applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”
“The information requested by SERAP does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FOI Act. The information requested for, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FOI Act, bothers on an issue of National interest, public concern, social justice, good governance, transparency and accountability.”