The socio-economic rights and accountability project (SERAP) says the Federal High Court in Lagos has given the green light to its suit seeking to compel the Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola to disclose the names of corrupt contractors.
Justice Chuka Obiozor granted the order for leave following the hearing of an argument on exparte motion by SERAP’s counsel Adelanke Aremo.
In the suit, SERAP asked the court to compel Fashola “to provide specific details on the names and whereabouts of the contractors who collected public funds meant for electricity projects but disappeared with the money without executing any projects, starting from the return of democracy in 1999 to 2018.”
You may recall that Fashola had earlier last month written to SERAP promising to refer the request for the details for necessary action and appropriate response.
However, SERAP disagreed with the response, saying the public expectation is that government information when in the hands of any public institutions and agencies, should be available to the public, as prescribed by the Freedom Of Information Act.
The FOI Act should always be used as an authority for disclosing information rather than withholding it.