Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has condemned the oath of secrecy which the commission has requested its staff to sign.
Odinkalu shared a picture of the oath of secrecy form in a tweet on Monday.
The law professor said he had learnt that the staff union of NHRC had instructed the commission’s employees not to sign the oath.
“#Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, @NHRCTweets, a public body bound by the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA), has in the past week ordered all its staff to sign & subscribe to forms of “Oath of Secrecy” – very much like a #SecretCult
“I now understand the Staff Union of @NhrcTweets has instructed all staff not to sign up to these #SecrecyOaths, effectively setting up a stand-off between the management & staff of the Commission, which is both avoidable & needless. The Management is in the wrong,” he said.
Odinkalu added: “In any case, @NhrcTweets is an institution that shd be at the #CuttingEdge of promoting access to information & transparency in government. Surely, it shd be the last institution to emulate the oathing practice of #SecretCults & outlaw societies.”
