SaharaReporters experiences that the Ibaji Progressive Youth Basis, a bunch within the Ibaji Native Authorities Space of Kogi State, has requested council Chairman to account for the tens of millions of naira month-to-month allocation of the LGA from 2015 until date.
In a Freedom of Data (FoI) request signed by the group's Nationwide President, Apeh Kelvin Abuchi and Secretary, Egwu Sule Linus, the council boss was additionally requested to offer an elaborate breakdown of the expenditure.
The letter, obtained by SaharaReporters, reads, "We write as an organisation that advocates for the rights of Ibaji residents, kogi state and Nigeria on the whole. By advantage of the provisions of the Freedom of Data Act 2011, we hereby request that you simply present us with the next info: An in depth and updated document of Federal allocations obtained by the Ibaji Native Authorities Space Council from 2015 thus far;
"We perceive that below the Freedom of Data Act, 2011, we're entitled to a response inside seven (7) working days of your receipt of this request and we stay up for receiving the knowledge requested throughout the permitted timeframe.
"In consequence thereof, we humbly request that the information be delivered to [email protected] in Microsoft Excel format. We are willing to pay the fees as assessed, which are incurred as a result of complying with this request, but we wish to reiterate, as clearly stated under Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, that, fees "....shall be limited to standard charges for document duplication and Fees transcription where necessary."
"If upon overview of our request, the choice is taken to switch the request to a different public establishment, we request that you simply present us with a written discover of this reality within the method as supplied below the Act and throughout the stipulated timeframe.
"If our request is denied in whole or in part we request that you justify such denial by reference to specific exemptions under the Act. It is instructive to note that we reserve the right to appeal your decision as guaranteed by the Act and we wish to state in clear terms that any request not sanctioned within the prescribed timeframe will be deemed as a denial of the request and any wrongful denial of request makes the defaulting officer and/or institution liable to a fine of N500,000 only."
In the meantime, the Ibaji affiliation learnt that the native council had directed all its staff to relocate from the Ibaji liaison workplace in Idah to the Ibaji Native Authorities Space as from Friday, January 14.
The Ibaji youths who're in a pending courtroom case in opposition to the council chairman insisted that the courtroom case would go on regardless of the relocation with the following adjourned date being February 28, 2022.
