Politics
Court Orders Lai Mohammed To Disclose Agreement Between FG And X
In a landmark judgement, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has ordered Alh Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information and Culture and the ministry of information to disclose the details of the agreement between the Federal Government and X, formerly Twitter, to assess whether the agreement complies with the exercise of Nigerians’ human rights online.
The judgment was delivered in May 2024 by Hon. Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/238/2022, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The certified true copy of the judgment was obtained last Friday.
In his judgment, Justice Dimgba held that, “The former minister and the Ministry of Information are directed and compelled to provide a copy of the agreement between the Nigerian Government and Twitter to SERAP solely to ascertain its impact on the protection of fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”
According to Justice Dimgba, “Disclosing the details of the agreement between the Nigerian Government and Twitter is in the public interest and does not affect Twitter’s business interest as a third party. It is also not prejudicial to Nigeria’s sovereignty and national security.”
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Justice Dimgba also stated that, “The agreement between the Nigerian Government and Twitter must still be disclosed irrespective of the harm to Twitter if it would be in the public interest to make sure disclosure.”
Justice Dimgba dismissed the objections raised by the minister’s counsel and upheld the SERAP’s arguments.
Justice Dimgba further said, “The minister has failed to prove that the President has followed due process of law to designate Twitter as a Critical National Information Infrastructure upon the National Security Adviser’s recommendation and issued an Order in the Federal Gazette in that regard.”
Justice Dimgba’s judgment, dated 28 May, 2024, read in part: “Therefore, I hold that the disclosure of the Twitter agreement is not prejudicial to Nigeria’s sovereignty and national security or protected by the Official Secrets Act, as the minister has failed to prove the same.
“The first question that needs to be answered is how the need to disclose the agreement is outweighed by the importance of protecting the commercial interests of the third party, Twitter.
“The former minister has unequivocally argued that the disclosure could harm Twitter’s business interests in other jurisdictions, potentially with Twitter’s contractual negotiations.
“However, this defence is hypothetical and does not point to the specific business or contractual interests of Twitter that could be affected.
“It is my view that the disclosure of the details of the agreement as requested by SERAP will not interfere with the commercial interests and trade secrets of Twitter or lead to financial losses to it, as the former minister has failed to prove the same.
“Besides, Section 15(4) of the Freedom of Information Act envisages only real and not hypothetical financial loss or gain to or prejudice to, the competitive position of or interference with contractual or other negotiation of a third party like Twitter which could be affected by the disclosure.
“No evidence was placed before this Court pointing to the fact that Twitter has an agreement with another country as a precondition for its operation in such jurisdiction as obtainable in Nigeria.
“I am of the view that SERAP has a legitimate reason to wish to be availed of the agreement, which is to understand how the agreement affects them and other Nigerians as far as the protection of the human rights of Nigerians are concerned.
“Another point of controversy is whether the need to disclose the agreement for public interest is subject to the need to protect national sovereignty, as argued by the minister. National sovereignty depending on context is synonymous with national security.
“In most cases, the need for national security outweighs public interest, including protection of fundamental human rights. In this case, however, I am of the view that the reason for the refusal by the minister to disclose the agreement does not come within the need to protect national security and sovereignty.
“The minister’s defence is predicated on the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention Act) 2015 but has failed to prove how the Act relates to the Twitter agreement other than mentioning the same.
“More than merely linking SERAP’s request for the agreement to ‘critical national information infrastructure’ in section 3 of the Cybercrime (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, nothing more is said about its relevance and how it supports non-disclosure of the Twitter agreement.
“As such, the Cybercrime Act cannot apply to this case, and the protection that would have availed the minister is exempted. The minister also failed to prove how SERAP’s request for the agreement between the Nigerian Government and Twitter came within the protection of the Official Secrets Act.”
“SERAP’s lawsuit falls within the framework of Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act.
“The minister is directed and compelled to provide a copy of the agreement requested to SERAP to enable the organization to study the same and come to an assessment of whether the agreement incorporates the provisions of Chapter IV of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] on fundamental human rights and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
“It is clear that Twitter was from the beginning ostensibly suspended from operating in Nigeria’s cyberspace solely to protect the country’s corporate existence. The same ban was lifted after Twitter reached agreement with the Nigerian Government on some terms and conditions for its operation in Nigeria’s cyberspace and the former minister has not denied the existence of such an agreement.
“SERAP’s request does not involve disclosing personal information but relates to an agreement between the government and an international company that plays in the social media and public data space.
“By paragraph 13 of SERAP’s affidavit evidence, the organization requested a copy of the agreement to know whether it complies with Nigeria’s domestic fundamental human rights laws and international treaties to which the country is a state party.
“SERAP’s request seeks clarification on the scope and enforcement of the agreement to ensure it complies with fundamental human rights laws. For emphasis, matters of human rights enforcement fall within the ambit of public interest, as can be gleaned from a holistic understanding of Section 15(4) of the Freedom of Information Act.
“Thus, a public institution may grant a request for information on human rights protection grounds within Section 15(4) of the FOI Act, provided that the importance of granting the same outweighs the commercial interests of the third party.
“Particularly, Order 1 Rule 2 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 provides that public interest ‘includes the interest of Nigerian society or any segment of it in promoting human rights and advancing human rights law.
“Paragraph 3(1)(3)(d) of the Guidelines on the Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act Revised recognizes the following factor as constituting public interest ‘allowing individuals and companies to understand decisions made by authorities affecting their lives, and in some cases, assisting individuals in challenging those.
Reacting to the judgment, Femi Falana, said, “We commend Justice Dimgba for this landmark judgment. This is a judicial confirmation of Nigerians’ rights to freedom of expression, and access to information online. We call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to immediately implement the judgment.”
In the letter dated 13 July 2024 sent to President Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, “We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.”
The SERAP’s letter, read in part: “We urge you to direct the Ministry of Information and Culture and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately disclose the details of the Twitter agreement, as ordered by the court.
“The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, freedom of expression including digital and data rights in Nigeria.
“SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment.”
The suit was filed against the former minister of information and culture. The suit followed the Nigerian Government’s statement on 13th January 2022 after lifting the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria, to the effect that, “Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history.”
Recall that the Nigerian Government suspended Twitter on June 4, 2021 after it removed a post from former president Muhammadu Buhari.
The former president was joined in the suit as Co-respondent but the court gave the orders against the minister.
The influence of Nigeria on the political leadership of the United Kingdom (UK) has attained a new high, with the Conservative Party (CP), electing Kemi Badenoch as its new leader.
In an election by the Tory on Saturday, the Nigerian-born Badenoch won with 53,806 votes, which makes her the first black woman to occupy such position in the UK politics.
Biztellers reports that her election makes her the UK’s opposition leader.
The new leader, who has strong potential of becoming the Prime Minister of the UK was born Olukemi Adegoke. Her parents are Nigerian, though she was born in the UK.
As part of efforts to ensure credible, free and fair conduct of the upcoming Ondo State gubernatorial election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has drawn the curtain on collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).
This was disclosed by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in a statement on its verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Friday.
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The offseason election is billed for November 16, 2024 and is being greeted with high levels of enthusiasm by political actors.
This has yielded an impressive PVC collection rate of 71.6%.
Prof Yakubu stated, “As part of our preparations for the election, the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), mainly from the recent voter registration, ended three days ago.
“I am pleased to announce that a total of 64,273 PVCs were collected by voters out of the 89,777 cards delivered to the State. This represents an impressive collection rate of 71.6%.”
The Presidency has clarified that the proposed tax reforms, including changes to Nigeria’s Value-Added Tax (VAT) distribution model, are intended to benefit all regions equally.
This response follows opposition from the Northern Governors’ Forum, a coalition of governors from Nigeria’s 19 northern states, who expressed concern over aspects of the reform at a meeting held on October 28.
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Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday.
Led by Governor Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, the governors, supported by traditional rulers like the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, cautioned that the proposed VAT model might disadvantage their states.
The statement reads, “While we commend the Governors and traditional rulers for supporting President Bola Tinubu over the success recorded in addressing the country’s security challenges, we consider it necessary to address the misunderstandings and misgivings around the tax reform already embarked upon by the administration.
“President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council recently endorsed new policy initiatives aimed at streamlining Nigeria’s tax administration processes, enhancing efficiency and eliminating redundancies across the nation’s tax operations.
“These reforms emerged after an extensive review of existing tax laws. The National Assembly is considering four executive bills designed to transform and modernise Nigeria’s tax landscape.
“First is the Nigeria Tax Bill, which aims to eliminate unintended multiple taxation and make Nigeria’s economy more competitive by simplifying tax obligations for businesses and individuals nationwide.
“Second, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) proposes new rules governing the administration of all taxes in the country. Its objective is to harmonise tax administrative processes across federal, state and local jurisdictions for ease of compliance for taxpayers in all parts of the country.
“Third, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill seeks to rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) to better reflect the mandate of the Service as the revenue agency for the entire federation, not just the Federal Government.
“Fourth, the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill proposes the creation of a Joint Revenue Board to replace the Joint Tax Board, covering federal and all states’ tax authorities.
“The fourth bill also suggests establishing the Office of Tax Ombudsman under the Joint Revenue Board, which would serve as a complaint resolution body for taxpayers.
“It is instructive to note that these proposed laws will not increase the number of taxes currently in operation. Instead, they are designed to optimise and simplify existing tax frameworks.
“The tax rates or percentages will remain the same under these reforms, as they focus on ensuring a more equitable distribution of tax obligations without adding to the burden on Nigerians.
“The reforms will not lead to job losses. On the contrary, they are structured to stimulate new avenues for job creation by supporting a dynamic, growth-oriented economy.
“Importantly, these laws will not absorb or eliminate the duties of any existing department, agency, or ministry. Instead, they aim to harmonise revenue collection and administration across the federation to ensure efficiency and cooperation.
“At the moment, tax administration lacks coordination among federal, state, and local tax authorities, often resulting in overlapping responsibilities, confusion, and inefficiency. Without reform, this inefficiency will persist.
“The proposed laws aim to coordinate efforts between different tiers of government, resulting in better tax resource management and greater clarity for taxpayers.
“Under existing laws, taxes like Company Income Tax (CIT), Personal Income Tax (PIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), Tertiary Education Tax (TET), Value-Added Tax (VAT), and other taxing provisions in numerous laws are administered separately, with individual legislative frameworks.
“The proposed reforms seek to consolidate these multiple taxes, integrating CIT, PIT, CGT, VAT, PPT, and excise duties into a unified structure to reduce administrative fragmentation.
“On the proposed derivation-based VAT distribution model, which the Northern Governors oppose, it must be stressed that the new proposal, as enunciated in the Bill, is designed to create a fairer system.
“The current model for distributing VAT is based on where the tax is remitted rather than where goods and services are supplied or consumed.
“The ongoing tax reform seeks to correct the inherent inequity in the current derivation model as a basis for distributing VAT revenue.
“The new proposal before the National Assembly outlines a different form of derivation which considers the place of supply or consumption for relevant goods and services.
“This means that states in the Northern region that produce the food we eat should not lose out just because their products are VAT-exempt or consumed in other states.
“These reforms are critical to improving the lives of Nigerians and were not put forward by President Tinubu to undermine any part of the country.
“There is no better time than now for the National Assembly to give due consideration to these bills that will overhaul our tax systems and create the revenue all the tiers of government require to fund the development our country and people urgently need.” It added
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