Advocates of good governance in Nigeria have urged state and local authorities to fully implement the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, arguing that greater transparency is essential to deepen democracy and rebuild public trust in institutions.
The call was made during a regional roundtable in Benin City, part of a broader campaign under the Strengthening Accountability and Governance in Nigeria Initiative (SAGNI), facilitated by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA).
Participants highlighted that while the FOI Act has been in place since 2011, public access to information remains hampered by bureaucratic resistance, poor record-keeping, and lack of awareness—particularly in sub-national jurisdictions.
Edo State’s Attorney-General, Mr Samson Osagie, said: “Transparency is not an afterthought; it is a duty. Our agencies must move from passive compliance to active disclosure.”
He advocated for civil service reforms that link FOI compliance to performance evaluations and called for civil society, media, and government collaboration to raise awareness and enforce standards.
CTA Executive Director Faith Nwadishi echoed the concerns, describing the 14-year history of the FOI Act as “progress dimmed by a culture of secrecy.”
“Over 70 per cent of respondents in our latest study had never accessed the FOI process. Worse, among those who tried, the majority received no response,” she said.
Highlighting a disturbing trend, she noted that some government bodies now charge exorbitant fees or route FOI requests through private legal firms, making access both difficult and expensive.
“The FOI Act is not a favour—it is a right,” Nwadishi insisted.
She welcomed the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling affirming the Act’s applicability across Nigeria’s 36 states, describing it as a “constitutional milestone.”
The CTA used the occasion to announce its forthcoming FOI Hackathon in Benin and Awka, aimed at using technology to make public information more accessible. It also plans to relaunch its annual FOI Awards to incentivise compliance and innovation in public disclosure.
The roundtable was supported by the European Union, International IDEA, and the RoLAC programme, as part of a year-long effort to enhance transparency, citizen participation, and governance across Nigeria.
