A three-member team of the Federal Ministry of Justice Freedom of Information Unit, led by Mrs Stella Anukam, recently paid a courtesy visit to the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Dr. Joe Abah in his office in Abuja.
During the visit, Mrs Anukam said that the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Bureau are change agents geared towards reform and transformation and should therefore collaborate in order to render the Public Service efficient and effective. She added that though proactive and responsive disclosures are new in government, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is instrumental in shedding habits of secrecy, in favour of openness, transparency, and accountability in government business. She therefore urged Dr Abah to emphasise obligations concerning FOIA in his reform crusade. She said that this will culminate in good governance and the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law.
In his response, Dr Joe Abah stressed that the Bureau is passionate about FOIA owing to its pivotal role in anti-corruption and its important contribution towards creating a culture of accountability. He said that because the Bureau practices proactive disclosure, Right to Know (R2K), an NGO recently described the website of the Bureau as the most up-to-date in the Public Service. He revealed that the website contains information of its senior staff, nominal roll, activities of the Bureau, National Strategy on Public Service Reforms (NSPSR), pay information circulars in the Public Service and many more.
Dr. Abah added that the Bureau is quite active on social media, via Twitter (@bpsrNigeria), a reform blog, an electronic newsletter (Reformer monthly), and annual reports will be released and made available from 2015. Dr Abah concluded by emphasising that FOI can make a huge difference in the fight against corruption in the Public Service.
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