As Nigeria marks the 14th anniversary of the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, a rights advocacy group, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on public institutions at the federal, state and local government levels to commit to the full and effective implementation of the law.
The act was signed into law on May 28, 2011, by former president Goodluck Jonathan.
A statement by the group noted that over the past 14 years, the FOI Act had served as a critical tool for enabling transparency, accountability and citizen participation in governance.
It however expressed disappointment that its implementation has been marred by widespread non-compliance, deliberate resistance to the law by public officials and weak enforcement mechanisms.
MRA’s deputy executive director, Mr Ayode Longe, said, “The importance of the Freedom of Information Act as a cornerstone of democratic governance is globally recognised.
“It is an essential tool for combating corruption, building knowledge societies and enabling citizen participation in governance.
“However, many public institutions continue to treat the Act with disdain by ignoring requests for information or refusing such requests, failing to designate FOI desk officers and failing to submit their annual implementation reports to the attorney-general of the federation as required by law.”
He noted that although civil society organisations, media organisations
and professionals as well as concerned citizens had made commendable efforts to utilise the Act, many of them had faced arbitrary denials,
delays and intimidation in the process, in addition to the fact that many court decisions and orders in favour of access to information were often not complied with.
According to Mr Longe, despite these implementation challenges, the FOI
Act has enabled critical revelations from exposing corruption to holding public institutions accountable, while journalists and civil
society organisations actors in particular, had utilised the Act to uncover mismanagement of public funds, advocate for service delivery
reforms, and amplify citizens’ voices.
He said the Supreme Court’s recent decision that the FOI Act is applicable to all levels of government had reinforced the Act’s legal
standing, stressing that the judgment also highlights the urgent need for state and local governments to develop and adopt implementation plans for the Act without delay.
Noting that persistent implementation challenges such as poor record-keeping, inadequate funding and bureaucratic resistance had continued to undermine compliance, Mr. Longe called on governments at all levels to ensure full compliance with all provisions of the Act, including proactive disclosures and timely responses to requests, and strengthening enforcement by empowering oversight mechanism and sanctioning persistent defaulters.
He also urged governments to enhance awareness and training for public
officials on their obligations under the law; promote state-level implementation of the Act in all parts of Nigeria, as well as protect
and encourage citizens, journalists and whistleblowers who seek to exercise their right to know.
Mr Longe announced that in commemoration of the 14th anniversary of the Act, MRA had also released a short video documentary highlighting some significant milestones in MRA’s efforts over the years to ensure the effective implementation of the FOI Act.
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