- A court has ruled on an application for the disclosure of the cost implicatiopns of President Muhammadu Buhari medical trips abraod
- Justice John Tsoho said the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act does not make provision for such disclosure without the consent of the president
- According to the judge, there is no evidence that the president was consented or that the information was in the public domain
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has refused an application seeking the compulsory disclosure of all information regarding the cost of medical treatment used by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The court on Tuesday, June 5, said the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act does not make provision for such disclosure without the consent of the president.
In his ruling, Justice John Tsoho said Section 14 (1) (b) of the FOI Act did not provide for such a personal information to be disclosed about the president, without his consent.
READ ALSO: Finally! Fayemi speaks after Ekiti shooting, says Fayose's reign to end July 14
Premium Times reports that the court ruled that there is no evidence that the president was consented or that the information was in the public domain.
Tsoho said: “I hereby hold that the information sought by the applicant is exempted by virtue of section 14 (1) (b) of the Freedom of Information Act”.
He also said that its is inappropriate for the applicants to question the decision of the respondents to forward the FOI to the presidency.
“It is not appropriate for the applicant to question the propriety of the transfer of the application or insist that it is the 1st and 2nd Respondents who must answer it. The Act did not provide for that," Tsoho added.
“On the whole, the applicant’s application is not sustained and is hereby struck out," the judge ruled.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
A civil society organisation, the Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI), had in a letter urged the Central Bank of Nigerian to disclose the cost of President Buhari medical trip abroad.
The group in an FOI request asked the apex bank to disclose the cost of maintenance for Mr Buhari’s aircraft as well as his travel companions during the medical trip.
However, the CBN in its response to the request forwarded the FOI to the presidency through the chief of staff, Abba Kyari leading to the group's legal action against the CBN governor Godwin Emefiele.
The application had the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as the third defendant.
READ ALSO: APC crisis deepens as Okorocha threatens to send Oyegun to jail
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Nigerians had questioned the cost of the medical trip embarked by the president in United Kingdom.
Some citizens called o the government to improve the nation’s health system and make it more suitable for medical tourism.
Critics of the government said President Buhari medical tourism is costing tax much money, too expensive and has become a burden on tax payers.
EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians - on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng