The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the Federal Capital Territory Minister Alhaji Mohammed Bello of obstructing the enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act in the quest by civil society organisations to join President Muhammadu Buhari to wage relentless war against breaches of the National Procurement Act and sanitization of procurement mechanisms and make them zero-tolerance to corruption.

The rights group has begun talks with likeminded human rights groups and legal practitioners to institute a matter at the Federal High Court soon against the FCT Minister for constituting a stumbling block in the enforcement of the freedom of information Act request which was sent to his office since last November demanding information on series of multibillion contracts awarded to a personal friend of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Robert Azibaola, and the legal import of change of company’s name at the middle of the execution of the alleged construction contracts.

The group said the FCT Minister bluntly refused to reply to our request which has passed the mandatory 21 working days. HURIWA said it hasn't accused the friend of erstwhile President and big time contractor with many Federal ministries of any corrupt acts but only wrote to obtain some information following information available to us that the company that was hitherto linked to the same person underwent a sudden change of name.

“As pro-transparency campaigners we only wanted to know if there are some suspicious reasons behind this change of company identity and whether there is any trace if fact to support the allegations made by some persons that most multibillion jobs have been abandoned by contractors in the FCT. We will also follow through to get information on other major construction jobs offered to other companies.”

In a statement jointly signed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said the FCT Minister is under legal and moral obligations to assist Mr. President in the current war against procurement misdemeanours and corruption and must provide all information relating to contracts for public works awarded by his predecessors and himself before and after he assumed office given that there is widespread allegations that some of those jobs may have been abandoned and the Nigerian people short-changed.

•Photo shows FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello.

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