Edmond Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organization [CEPO] - Credit: Eye Radio/Lou Nelson |

An activist has appealed to the government to ensure that public debate on Nile dredging is not restricted and that freedom of expression is observed since the matter is in the public interest.

In a statement seen by Eye Radio, Emond Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organizations blamed what the government described as misinformation on the Nile dredging project by the citizens on the denial of media access to information.

Yakani was responding to the Information Minister’s Friday call on the public to refrain from misleading information about the Nile dredging project.

Michael Makuei, after the council of Ministers meeting at the weekend, said some social media users have approached the matter from an uninformed position.

Yakani appealed to the government to ensure the public debate event is not restricted.

He also called on the authorities to make sure that freedom of expression is observed since the matter is in the public interest.

“CEPO hohopeshat any public debate event associated with the river dredging should not be restricted and freedom of expression should be observed fully by some government institutions since it is public best interest deliberations that require the provision of accurate information for correcting the misinformation and disinformation in the public arena already,” Mr. Yakani stressed.

“The misinformation on the river dredging project was a clear indicator that if the media was provided accurate information early, the observed misinformation in the various platforms of the social media could not be seen.”

Yakani said it’s time the government realized that denying media access to information contributes to fueling misinformation in the country.

He pointed out that the pressure generated by various users of social media was because there was no early provision of accurate information to the public.

However, he said, engaging the public on the Nile dredging project is not too late.

This is as the country has invited foreign experts to educate the leaders and citizens on the initiative.

Yakani stated that in today’s world misinformation is a stronger tool of destruction and misleading the public.

He added that the river dredging project debate could have been better and soft if accurate early information was provided to the public.