By Kemo Cham
Proactive disclosure of information is crucial not just to prevent fake news from thriving, but it will also enhances the fight the against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) has said.
The Commission in a statement shared with Politico called on public authorities, particularly those in the front line of the national response efforts, to endeavor to make credible information to the public, noting that this will also ensure accountability in the use of resources allocated to the fight.
The statement signed by the head of the Commission noted that it was cognizant of the compelling public interest in the outbreak of the global pandemic which had brought about a myriad of challenges across sectors and disciplines, adding that such challenges couldn’t be unconnected with access to information rights.
“Information is of critical importance in every aspect of human life. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 16.10, having access to information is having access to resources that make it possible to enjoy a healthy life and other related human rights, as well as having awareness of major challenges facing humanity,” the statement signed by Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, RAIC Chairman and Information Commissioner, reads.
It stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic could only be contained if there was credibility in the information disseminated about it.
“It is in this light that the RAIC joins the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) to promote proactive disclosure and access to credible coronavirus-related information and widespread awareness of measures to control and prevent the spread of the virus in their countries of jurisdiction and globally, and above all promote transparency and accountability in how public funds are used in the collective response to prevent its spread and support those in desperate circumstances as a result of the global pandemic,” Dr Shaw was quoted saying in the statement.
The call comes as the government battles against a growing trend of fake news reports, which officials of the National Coronavirus Response Team say has already made their work difficult. Unscrupulous people have doctored official statistics to make the number of confirmed cases appear higher than they are. This has caused panic in the general population, leading to calls for the government to release more information.
There have also been concerns about the usage of funds allocated to government institutions in the response to the effect of the pandemic.
The RAIC statement warned that the Bio administration must learn from the experience of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic when corrupt officials and other stakeholders diverted public funds and thereby cause shortage of resources and the death of many people due to lack of needed medications and lifesaving services.
The Commission says as the government heightens its surveillance, contact tracing of confirmed cases, and testing measures in the ongoing pandemic, public authorities and members of the public themselves are not only required to proactively provide access to credible COVID-19-related information, but that those who need information should also endeavor to follow the established channels to access it.
“The Commission firmly believes that this is needed to build public trust in the transparency and accountability of service delivery and avoid the spread of fake news about the pandemic,” it said, adding: “In this way, we are sure to avoid the mistakes of the response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, where according to evidence, lack of access to credible information largely contributed to its rapid spread and destruction of many lives, as well as lack of public trust in the way in which public and donor funds were expended to control it and ease the suffering of the public.”
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