Communique Issued At the 43rd Meeting of the National Council on Information (NCI) Held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Garki Abuja, On Thursday, 13th December, 2012

PREAMBLE

The 43^rd meeting of the National Council on Information was held at the NICON LUXURY Hotel, Garki – Abuja from Wednesday 12^th to Thursday, 13^th December, 2012, with the theme: “Information Management for Good Governance and National Transformation”. It was attended by 410 delegates from 31 States, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Goodwill and solidarity messages were received from the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

1.1          The meeting of officials to prepare the framework for the Council meeting was held on Wednesday 12^th December, 2012, under the Chairmanship of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information, Mrs Kehinde Ajoni. She expressed regrets at the inconveniences caused by the Ministry’s inability to hold the 43^rd Meeting at Osogbo but noted that the 43^rd NCI was taking place at an appropriate time considering the on-going national Good Governance Tour as approved by Council at the 42^nd Meeting.

1.2         In a keynote address, the Honourable Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, welcomed participants and delegates, and drew attention to the theme of the 43^rd session, ‘Information Management for Good Governance and National Transformation. He noted that the meeting was both timely and appropriate in light of the intense focus on the performance of governments at all levels. Identifying openness and transparency in governance as critical elements, in any democracy, Mr Labaran Maku drew attention to the success of the just concluded One-Day Workshop on the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, hosted in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Information in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

1.3         He described the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as the boldest and most revolutionary step by any Administration in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, pointing out that its implication of open access to information is a challenge to Journalists and all who wish to know how they are governed and how their resources are managed. Mr Maku called on all State Governments and Ministries of Information to commence effective Public Enlightenment and facilitate the implementation of the Act in the interest of good governance. Finally, Mr Labaran Maku drew attention to the progress of the National Good Governance tour which he said was an eye opener as it was able to reveal the massive development and extensive work being done by governments at all levels.

1.4         He commended the Federal Government’s on-going Transformation Agenda, pointing out that in addition to the noteworthy improvement in the power sector the Nation’s Agricultural Sector is poised to create employments while the Transport Sector is set to receive a tremendous boost with the imminent reopening of the North-South and East-North rail lines. While he expressed his wish for fruitful deliberations and timely implementation of Council decision, the Honourable Minister declared the 43^rd Session of the National Council on Information (NCI) open.

1.5         Earlier on the Permanent Secretary in her opening remarks emphasized the importance of the good governance tour in monitoring developmental projects all over the country. She also noted the need for the deployment of robust communication strategies for effective publicity as imperatives for the transformational agenda and vision 20:20:20

1.6         After exhaustive deliberations, Council resolved as follows:

1.              i.      that the National Good Governance Tour is an effective way of showcasing efforts of government at all levels and encouraged States to support the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Information.

1.             ii.      that States be encouraged to implement the Freedom of Information Act.

1.           iii.      that States should take advantage of the enhanced curricula at the National Institute of Public Information (NIPI) Kaduna, in order to create synergy in Information management and bridge the knowledge gap amongst Information Managers. Council noted the need for the Federal Ministry of Information and NIPI to embark on more aggressive marketing of its programmes.

1.            iv.      that Federal and State Ministries of Information should further collaborate and intensify public enlightenment on environmental challenges and national security. In this regard, States are encouraged to vote funds for public enlightenment while designs of specific strategies and publications are made available for implementation by the Federal and State Ministries of Information.

1.             v.      That the establishment of a Collective Management Organization (CMO) in the field of audio visual works in Nigeria will help deepen the Nigerian film industry and make it globally competitive. Council therefore encouraged the accelerated registration of the CMO.

1.            vi.      That States should provide access to computers for community schools and encourage e-governance at the Local Government levels.

1.          vii.      That all Citizens in Nigeria should be properly secured in their States of residence, irrespective of their State of Origin.

1.7         Council noted:

1.              i.      the need to support and encourage the establishment of a Collective Management Organization (CMO) in the field of Audio-Visual Works in Nigeria.

1.             ii.      the presentation of an update on the successful hosting of the One-Day first National Conference on Audio-Visual Archiving in Nigeria.

1.           iii.      the successful hosting of the 6^th Edition of the biennial Zuma Film Festival with the theme “The Human Story: Connecting People”.

1.            iv.      the need to put in place legal provisions to check cyber crimes in the country and develop a platform to respond to issues on social media.

1.             v.      the presentation of an update on the work on Voice of Nigeria’s Abuja Transmitting Station project

1.            vi.      the submission on effective Information Management made by Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun,Oyo, Rivers and Yobe States.

1.          vii.      the Federal Ministry of Information’s efforts and expressed its appreciation to the Ministry for hosting the 43^rd council.

1.8         The next meeting of the National Council on Information is to hold in Osogbo, Osun State in September 2013.

COMMUNIQUE COMMITTEE

Federal Officers

1.       E. N. Agbegir                  –        FMI

2.       J. K. Lawal                       –        FMI

3.       F. N. Chetden                 –        FMI

4.       G. O. Adeoye                  –        FMI

5.       Wofai E. Agbam               –        FMI

State Representatives

1.       Ibim Semenitari                        –        Rivers State                   – South-South

2.       Arthur A. Bosah                       –        Anambra State      – South East

3.       Hon. Gide Sani Batagarawa        –        Katsina State        – North West

4.       Emmanuel Bello                          –        Taraba State        – North East

5.       Taiwo Ibiyemi Otegbeye           –        Oyo State             – South West

6.       Hon. Victoria Titi Monde           –        Nasarawa State     – North Central