PODCAST: Freedom of Information Act In Nigeria

Collaboration: The Way Forward For FoIA

With the establishment of the importance of the Freedom of Information Act(FoIA) in advancing public institution transparency and accountability in Nigeria, the last day of the two-day South-West Regional Sensitization Workshop for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), on the FoIA kick-started with extensive deliberation on the  relationship that should exist between CSOs and public institutions.

A strategic approach of collaborative engagement between public officials, institutions and CSOs was proffered as it was deemed the best approach for the advancement of the country’s nascent democracy. This, experts say will thrive on proactive disclosure of information by public institutions, even before the demands are made by interested citizens.

According to International Human Right Expert, Olusola Akinbode, “CSOs cannot single-handedly achieve the objectives of the Act, except with the collaborative involvement of all relevant stakeholders, ranging from the already defined public institutions, the media, the citizenry et al”.  Olusola, stressed the need to gainfully engage community gate keepers, as they play a non-negotiable role in societal development.

Group Picture of Workshop Participants

Drawing implementation insight from Mexico’s Freedom of Information Law success story, the workshop had a live videoconference with FUNDAR’s Janet Oropeza, who stated that Mexico has one of the most robust and progressive access to information statues internationally, although there exist the question whether legislative strength guarantees widespread compliance of the law. Janet noted that with consistent, strategic and altruistic engagement with state actors, the Freedom of Information Act, will be become effective in Nigeria.

The workshop also mirrored on the Indian example which has a huge number of the citizen population being aware of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, as against the provisions of the country’s constitution.

An action plan and a general communiqué of expected actions towards the successful implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in the South-West and Nigeria as whole was drafted and adopted by all participants of the workshop.

                              Watch out for the copy of the action plan and communiqué.

                                        Remember…Information is Power! Think FoIA!

Nigeria and the Freedom of Information Act

World over, the quest for an open and transparent government is on the increase. In Nigeria, the story is no less as citizens now express more interest in public programmes, projects, policies and purse.

After years of torturous politicking, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed the Freedom of Information Act in 2011, an act aimed at making public records and information more freely available to citizens, consequently promoting accountability and responsibility in public life.

In line with its mandate of making democracy work, The Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) Project, is organizing a Two-Day South-West Zonal Sensitization Workshop for Civil Society Organisations on the effective implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address on the first day of the workshop, Justice Dare Aguda (Rtd), noted that “In a democracy every citizen should have access to necessary information although no right can be enjoyed in the society without restriction, not even the fundamental human rights”. Justice Aguda further stated, that since the Nigerian 1999 constitution does not specify how information should flow from public offices to the populace, the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act become helpful and should be leveraged on in order to effectively engage public institutions.

Speaking on the national, continental and global context of the Freedom of Information Act, Maxwell Kadiri, Open Society Justice Initiative, stated that the quest for the free-flow of public information started in Sweden in 1766 but today only ten African countries have an established Freedom Information Act-with Nigeria, Niger and Tunisia been the latest in the 2011. He posited that with the reality of the Nigerian society as a democratic system where sovereignty lies with people, their concern should take the centre-stage in any government while they also should actively participate in the governance process.

Maxwell highlighted that “The Freedom of Information Act is a critical ingredient that distinguishes democracy from dictatorship and defines the authenticity and vibrancy of democracy thus, access to information is at the heart of democracy”. He expressed optimism that in the next two-five years, larger percentage of Nigerians will demand relevant information from public institutions with words such as “I will FoI you”, becoming commonplace.

On his part, Lanre Arogundade, International Press Center, noted that the growing social consciousness amidst Nigerians should be sustained with the usage of the Freedom of Information Act especially in terms of obligations of public institutions whilst eliminating unnecessary speculations thus promoting public and social accountability and responsibility in the country.