The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has on Thursday described the federal government’s threat to jail government officials who disclose information without authorization as illogical.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr George Akume, speakinf at a workshop on Monday in Abuja organized by the Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in collaboration with the Office of the Government of the Federation (OSGF), said such action is a felony.
According Mr. Akume, the unauthorised leakage of sensitive official documents constitutes a felony, claiming that there is no defence for such, either in the Constitution or Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
However, reacting in a statement, Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, MRA said the SGF’s speech is illogical and false.
According to him, Akume’s view that civil society organisations (CSOs) “use the Freedom of Information Act to harass, intimidate and siphon resources from public officers through the dissemination of fake and unfounded information”, and call for the regulation of the activities of civil society organizations on this ground was a red herring designed to divert attention from the Government’s real challenges.
He said: “We are disheartened to see on public display such profound ignorance of the FOI Act by a senior official of the Federal Government. We respectfully call on him to make an effort to familiarize himself with the provisions and intent of this piece of legislation in order not to cause further embarrassment to the Government he represents.
“Whistleblowers are driven by a profound sense of duty and a commitment to the greater good. They shine a light in the dark corners of our governments, revealing truths that many officials would prefer remain hidden. Their actions have often led to significant positive changes, including correcting injustices, the implementation of reforms, and safeguarding the public interest.”
Mr. Longe added rather than threatening whistleblowers with imprisonment in order to create a climate of fear and discourage others from coming forward, the Government should be adopting additional measures and enacting laws to ensure adequate protection for them in the light of the immense value that they bring to the society.
He argued further that whistleblowers play essential role in combating corruption as well as maintaining accountability and transparency.
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