Foi: Miivoc Set To Sue Isopadec
A non-governmental Organisation, Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC says it is set to sue the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission-ISOPADEC for its refusal to respond to a request made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
MIIVOC Information/FOI Officer, Phillip Inyang disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Owerri, Thursday.
According to him, “in an FOI request dated 11thMarch, 2016, signed by MIIVOC’s Programme Officer, Promise Ibe and addressed to the Acting Managing Director, Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission-ISOPADEC, we made a 5-point request, asking for information on issues bothering on alleged misappropriation of funds and breach of public thrust.”
The FOI request, which he availed newsmen reads in part:
“We are concerned about the raging controversy over the deplorable state of the newly constructed ISOPADEC Secretariat. We are also worried over the seeming poor impact of the Commission in the lives of oil producing communities in the state, as well as the unstable financial status of the oil Commission.
Considering the controversy trailing the above and more and in view of the right of Imo citizens and Nigerians at large to know, we most respectfully invoke sections 1, 2 (3) (V), 2 (3) (Vi) of the Freedom of Information Act (2011) to request the following:
“Details of the contract for the construction of the new ISOPADEC Secretariat; the documents should be certified true copies and are expected to contain: name of contractor(s), value, duration and specifications, payment pattern, the procurement process and all other details pertaining to the contract; Financial statement of the Commission as at December 31st, 2015 and details of funds that the Commission received between January 2012 and December, 2015.”
Others are: “Total staff strength of the Commission, their departments, ranks and communities of origin and details of Projects executed by the Commission between January, 2012 and December, 2015, including their values, duration of project, date of award, specifications, procurement process, payment pattern and all other details pertaining to the projects.”
Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption- MIIVOC is a coalition of communication, civil society and human rights activists and groups with special interest in the war against Injustice, Violence, immorality and corruption, as well as the protection of human rights, from a communication perspective.