NOA Calls For Proactive Measures Against Insecurity, Youth Unemployment

The need for concrete action against rising cases of insecurity, youth unemployment and restiveness in Nigeria has been stressed.

These came to the front burner when the National Orientation Agency, Anambra State Directorate, organized a one-day stakeholders’
engagement on evaluating the application of the Freedom of Information Act.
The event took place at Awka South Local Government Headquarters.The Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act became a law on May twenty-fourth, 2011.

It was passed to enable the public have access to certain government information in order to ensure transparency and accountability as well as to give every Nigerian a legal right to access information, records and documents held by government and private bodies carrying out public functions.

In a paper presentation, the Chairman, Anambra State Civil Society Network, Prince Chris Azor, who spoke on the theme of the programme “Evaluation of the Application of Freedom of Information Act and its Impact on National Development”, listed some of the functions of the Civil Society Organizations in the implementation of Freedom of Information, including collaboration with citizens in the area of enlightenment, making Freedom of Information requests and organizing Freedom of Information Act seminars for political representatives at the local, state and national assemblies.

In a keynote address, the Anambra State Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mr Charles Nworji, said that the programme was to assess the level of implementation of the Freedom of Information Act by stakeholders and to evaluate the application of the law in national development, noting that National Orientation Agency has translated the Freedom of Information Act into twenty-three indigenous Nigeria languages in addition to its publication and distribution across the state.

In their various good will messages, the representative of the National Population Commission, Mrs Salome Muodozie, Mr Charles Ekwunife of the Public Complaints Commission, Mr Godwin Orjiako of the Civil Society Organization and Mr Benjamin Adeh of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, commended National Orientation Agency for the programme and promised to strive towards contributing to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in their various organizations.

The Chairman of the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Mr Emmanuel Ifesinachi and Secrtary Mr Emma Udeagha also attended the event.