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MRA Launches
Grassroots Enlightenment Campaign on FOI
Port Harcourt, Monday, December 5 2005: Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
today launched an enlightenment campaign on the Freedom of Information
Bill targeted at community-based organizations to broaden the constituency
for support for the proposed law.
The campaign is aimed at reaching out to the non-elite members of the
society and raising awareness and support for the Bill among such
organizations and communities, to create a momentum for the Bill among
grassroots organizations.
The first of the events, which are being organized with support from the
European Commission, will take place today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Subsequent meetings with community based organizations will also be held
in Benin City, Edo State; Jos, Plateau State; and in Kaduna.
The objective of the campaign is to provide these groups of Nigerians with
basic knowledge about the Bill, explain how it is relevant to them and to
their social, economic and political development, prepare them to network
with other sectors of the society engaged in the freedom of information
campaign and enhance their capacity to speak about issues of transparency
and accountability in their local areas.
The Port Harcourt meeting is being organized by MRA in collaboration with
Community Rights Initiative (CORI). It will bring together about 40
freedom of information campaigners as well as leaders and representatives
of grassroots, community-based organizations and other non-elite members
of the society.
Participants will be drawn from the Egi Women Welfare Association (EWWA)
in Obite Community and the Ogbogu Youth Movement (OYM) in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni
Local Government Area of Rivers State; the Elele Women Association (EWA)
in Elele Town in the Ikwerre Local Government Area; the Rumuekpe Women
Association (RWA), also in Ikwerre Local Government Area; the Ogbogoro
Community Development Committee in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area; the
Umuakonu Community Development Committee in Etche Local Government Area;
the Elelenwo Community, the Iriebe Community, the Rumuepirikom Community,
the Rumuokwuta Community Town Council, and the Rumuomio Community, all in
the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Other participants will come from the Ogu Bolo Community, the Okirika
Community, the Etche Ikwerrengwo Community, the Ozuzu Community, the
Community Democrats in Okokwu Town in Port Harcourt Local Government Area;
the Rural Foundation for Gender and Development (RUFDEV) in Omoku Town;
the Sustainable Peace Initiative; the Abua Development Association, the
Ikwerre Youth Movement in Isiokpo Town; the Omoku Youth Association in One
Local Government Area; Community Rights Initiative; and the Movement for
the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) in Bori Town, in the Khana Local
Government Area.
No fewer than two hundred participants from various community groups are
expected to benefit from this new phase of the campaign to get more
Nigerians involved in the campaign for a Freedom of Information Act.
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