A Port Harcourt based practicing journalist and a member of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State council, Alapakabia Tobin said he has issued an ultimatum of seven working days to the Director of Environmental Health and Safety Department, Ministry of Environment to provide information leading to number of stores/super markets and public sales outlets caught for selling expired and take consumable products.
According to Tobin, he had made a formal application to the Director on 29th October, 2012 which was duly acknowledge by the Registrar at the department and uptil now no effort has been made to provide the information needed by him to enable the press disseminate such information effectively, which he said will go a long way to checking the sale of expired and fake consumable products in the society.
The journalist also maintained that, his application was in line with the mandate of Freedom of information bill 2011 signed in to law by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
He further appealed to the Director of the department to consider his application paramount and see the members of the pres as people complementing government effort on environmental safety to ensure good governance.
Tobin urged the Director of the department to make the information available to disabuse the minds of the people that the department is with some supermarket directors and managers to settle out of court.
He warned that a legal action will be taken against the ministry if this information is not available within seven working days. ###
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