Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Freedom of Information Act will soon be domesticated in Delta State, following the passage of the state Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill during plenary, yesterday, at the floor of the House of Assembly in Asaba.
Majority Leader and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Tim Owhefere, had presented the report of the committee to plenary, presided over by Speaker Sheriff Oborevwori.
The House then dissolved into the committee of the whole to consider the report before reconvening at plenary.
When plenary resumed, the speaker called for the suspension of relevant sections of theHouse rules for the bill to be passed.
Speaking after the passage of the bill, Oborevwori said it would enhance the principle of democracy, adding that the people will now have unhindered access to information.
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated the need for security agencies to go after those who spread deceitful stories to lure innocent Nigerians into irregular migration and human trafficking.
Okowa spoke in Asaba, when the Director General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli, paid him a courtesy visit.
The governor said: “We are disturbed with the number of persons involved in irregular migration. Most of them travel oversee because they have been told stories how rosy it is out there, and in most cases, these persons find themselves in countries where their economies are not better than that of Nigeria.
“Security agencies should look out for those who are carrying out deceitful messages; they may be operating as cartels. When they stop deceiving people, irregular migration will reduce.
“As a state government, we will carry out enlightenment campaigns, because, if you do not take enough time to get our people properly informed, they will enter wrong hands.
“We have a lot of youth engagement programmes, training and empowering our youths, but, it is unfortunate that the number of people who seek greener pastures abroad is still high. We want to appreciate you, NAPTIP, for what you are doing. We assure you of our cooperation for irregular migration to be reduced.”