Three civil society organisations (CSOs) have sued the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over its alleged failure to provide them with a breakdown of its 2020 budget in line with provisions of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.
The CSOs; Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action), and Abia State NDDC Advocacy groups, filed the suit at the Federal High Court (FHC), Umuahia in Abia.
The Executive Director of FENRAD, Mr. Nelson Nwafor, stated this on behalf of others in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
He said in the suit marked: FHC/UMU/CS/349/2022 dated Dec 22 and filed by their lawyer, J.C. Anyigor, the CSOs are praying the court to compel the NDDC to make available details of the 2020 Budget and procurement made within the period to them in compliance with FoI Act.
He said the groups want the commission to make available to them details of the vendors used in the procurement process, details of the bidding process, details of the contractors who executed the projects, details of the executed projects/location of the projects budgeted as well as the process of the disbursement to the contractors.
The suit, which was filed via a motion ex-parte, was brought in pursuant to Order 34, Rules 3(1) & (2) of the FHC (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the honorable court for Judicial Review.
They said the request was made in compliance with the provisions of the FoI Act which entitles citizens, and groups the right to request information from government institutions, individuals and corporate organisations.
NAN
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
