Registered Organisations Back NITDA Bill, Says Fact-Check
Most organisations backing the NITDA Bill at the National Assembly are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC. This was the conclusion of a fact-check done by PRNigeria.
In a report, it dubbed as “fact check,” an online platform, ITREALMS, claimed that its “investigation” unraveled 12 fictitious stakeholders supporting the National Information Technology Development (NITDA) Bill 2022.
However, PRNigeria reached out to the respective organisations mentioned by ITREALMS to confirm if they are truly not operational and not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as claimed by the self acclaimed digital news blog. In response, most of the organisations sent their CAC Certificates as proof of legal standing. https://prnigeria.com/2023/05/24/fictitious-organisations-nitda-bill/
Based on the documents screened by PRNigeria fact-check desk, the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR) was officially incorporated in February 2023 with registration number 6880172 as against the claim by ITREALMS that it was an unregistered entity.
Further checks revealed that NADIR, a non-political organisation that counters misinformation and fake news and promotes digital inclusion and fact-checking to enhance positive narratives and digital literacy, has been active and existence since 2021 before it was officially registered with the CAC.
A simple online check revealed that in April this year, a serial award-winning journalist and fact-checker, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, was appointed as Executive Secretary of the Network.
Also, Mansurah M Abdullah, the Chief Executive Officer of Heroic Discovery and Community Development Centre told PRNigeria fact-check desk that the organisation was incorporated in February 2014 with registration Number CAC/IT/NO 67586.
Besides the document she shared to support her claim, a simple online keyword check revealed a site map for the organisation, its registered presence with NG-Check and its affiliation with other NGOs like the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN).
Furthermore, findings revealed that the North East ICT Development Initiatives was incorporated on the 11th day of November, 2021 as limited by guarantee with registration number 1859972 with Abdulrahman Barkindo Alkali as the Project Lead. It also has a registered domain http://www.neicti.com.ng but a click visit indicates that the site is currently under renovation.
Similarly, documents obtained from Zainab Abdulkadir, the Senior Program Officer, Digital African Youth Forum revealed that it was incorporated in March 2023 with registration number 68720162. An inquiry by PRNigeria into the record of the CAC corroborated the legal registration status and corresponding documents to be genuine.
Based on facts unravelled by PRNigeria and documents accessed in both the CAC record and founders of the affected organisations, the claim by ITREALMS that some stakeholder organisations supporting NITDA Bill 2022 are unregistered, is unreliable.
PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim by ITREALMS that its “investigation” unraveled 12 fictitious stakeholders supporting the NITDA Bill 2022 is not only FALSE but also MISLEADING.
