TheHuman Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)has accused the Federal Capital Territory MinisterAlhaji Mohammed Belloof obstructing the enforcement of theFreedom of Information Actin the quest by civil society organisations to joinPresident Muhammadu Buharito 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 theFederal High Courtsoon against theFCT Ministerfor 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 theFCT Ministerbluntly 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 timecontractor 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 informationon other major construction jobs offered to other companies.”

In a statement jointly signed by theNational Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWAsaid theFCT Ministeris 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.