Open government requires agencies to work proactively and respond to requests. This paper therefore set out to examine the extent to which the foi act, signed into law in nigeria in 2011, has facilitated free access to public information as well. Nov 16, 2011 following recent trends and tapping into the growth of mobile phones in the country, media rights agenda, a nonprofit organisation that spearheaded advocacy around passing the bill into law in nigeria has recently launched the foi act mobile app the mobile app available on both java enabled phones and black berry can be downloaded here tags. Freedom of information act applicable to all state in. Mar 27, 2020 the passage of the freedom of information act fills a huge gap which hitherto existed in the legal framework for citizens access to information held by public officers, authorities and institutions in nigeria. Freedom of information and democracy are interrelated. I am a nigerian citizen, and going by the foi, i think the information you pretend to be your personal info, actually ought to be open to my person as well. Federal republic of nigeria, was signed into law on 28th may. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in. Freedom of information act foi, foi coalition, nigeria, nigerian.
Nearly five years on, the law is not being fully or effectively implemented. Icpc act 2000 b a list of all i classes of records under the control of the institution in sufficient details to facilitate the exercise of the right to information under this act. Impact of freedom of information act on journalism. Abstract freedom of information foi refers to the right which citizens in a society are expected to have to access information held by government institutions and officials. In the little time i have been working in the transparency and. Nigerian states have no powers to reject requests filed under the freedom of information act foi, the court of appeal has ruled. The right to know r2k, nigeria is a dynamic organisation established in 2007 to champion the right to access officially held information at all levels of government public institutions and establishing legal standards for these rights in nigeria. The freedom of information act 2011 gives everyone the right to request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or. Freedom of information act applicable to all state in nigeria, appeal court rules nigerian states have no powers to reject requests filed under the freedom of information act.
Nigerian foi law not effectively implemented freedom info. Introduction to the freedom of information act the concept of a foi law for nigeria became popular in 1993 by the activities of different civil rights organisations. The two offices are located in the corporate secretariat on the 10th floor, wing. This, i am pretty sure is also the reality for majority of nigerians. Manually processing paper requests and creating response correspondence is time consuming and can cause frustration when responses are. In a march 27 decision at the akure division, the court of appeal. Evaluative study of the freedom of information act on. Freedom of information act foi 2011 channels television. In august, 2011, another organization, the nigeria association for the care and resettlement of offenders nacro, citing the foi act, approached the ogun state government for information on the concessioning of governmentowned gateway hotels. Pdf this study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Foi is an act to make public records and information more freely available. Pdf nigeria freedom of information act, 2011 574kb.
Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information. Enacted by the national assembly of the federal republic of nigeria. A member of the house of representatives, abike dabirierewa has accused the nigerian media of a disappointing lackadaisical attitude to the freedom of information act foia passed two years. The freedom of information act 2011, according to its long title, was made as an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and. The twoday national conference on the theme freedom of information act 2011 and the fight against corruption and corporate fraud in governance, organized at abuja, was the institutes way of lending its voice to the federal governments fight against corruption and corporate fraud using the foi act as a point of reference. Chapter five of this impact of freedom of information act on journalism practice material is available. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a. Nairaland forum nairaland general politics the freedom of information foi act 2011. The freedom of information act 1982 foi act gives any person the right to do all of the following. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of. Chapter five of impact of freedom of information act on journalism practice contains.
Going by the foi act, i am entitled to the information and i demand it as my right. Freedom of information portal bureau of public service. This page sells the central bank of nigeria s cbns. The act which is an expansion of section 39 of the constitution of the. May 26, 2016 nigeria adopted a freedom of information law on may 28, 2011 when former president goodluck jonathan signed the foi bill passed by the national assembly into law. Nigeria foi was enacted in 2011, foi is an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences of disclosing certain kinds. Freedom of information act foia software solutions. An act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences of disclosing certain kinds of official. The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. Nigerians charged on importance of harnessing provisions.
Laws of the federation of nigeria an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences of. Another fundamental issue that affects the freedom of information act is some other media laws that are still fully operational in nigeria. The first foi request that came to the council was received february, 2015. There is no gain saying the fact that the nigeria freedom of information act was proposed in the context of international affirmation of the rights of citizens to access information held by public bodies as fundamental human right. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in. A decade after the freedom of information foi act was passed in the country. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. This commentary was posted june 29, 2015, on the website of center for social justice in nigeria. Attorney generals guidelines on the foi act download here. Until recently, i really had no idea there was an act called the freedom of information foi act talk much less of knowing what it was all about.
The first newspaper in nigeria was established in 1859 and was called iwe irohin, the paper existed from 1859 to 1867 and subsequently. Nigeria adopted a freedom of information law on may 28, 2011 when former president goodluck jonathan signed the foi bill passed by the national assembly into law. The researcher consulted secondary sources such as books, journals, and magazines. Jun 15, 2017 another fundamental issue that affects the freedom of information act is some other media laws that are still fully operational in nigeria. The article traces the journeys of the foi act, and examines its provisions, first. For example, we have the official secrets act, evidence act, the public complaints commission act, the statistics act, and the criminal code. Aji spoke at national conference on the freedom of information act, organized by the right to know initiative, in abuja. The enactment of the freedom of information act fia or the act can be traced to the evolution of press freedom in nigeria. Malgwi2, bulama kagu3 and ibrahim danjuma4 1 department of business management, university of maiduguri nigeria 2 bursary department, university of maiduguri, 3department of education, university of maiduguri, 4faculty of management and human resource. I want you to include the home addresses, phone numbers and bank account numbers of all the public office holders in your possession. Act which is an expansion of section 39 of the constitution of the. In a march 27 decision at the akure division, the court of appeal ruled that the requests for information, especially around public expenditure, under the foi, are made in public interest and should be honored by. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria.
It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in. Label your request freedom of information act request, preferably within the request letter and on the envelope, and address the request to jfhqok, 3503 military circle, oklahoma city, ok 73111 attn. This act makes public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from. Challenges that are confronting the implementation of the act are. According to the director army public relations, brigadiergeneral. This is because a democratic society portrays freedom for the people where government policies are brought in the open for the people to make. How state officials violate nigerias freedom of information act. The aim of this article is to analyze the freedom of information act, 2011 in nigeria and the changes it introduced into the legal system. Management division made up of public complaints office and freedom of information office was created to implement the freedom of information act in the bank and to treat public complaints against the bank. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records. Nigeria freedom of information foi act was enacted in may 28, 2011. If you refuse, i will charge you to court for violating my rights. Nigerian information act, thereby becoming the ninth country in africa and among 90 countries in the world to enact the law.
Freedom of information act foia responding to constituent and media foia requests in an efficient and timely way is a constant challenge for government agencies, including public universities and hospitals. The nigerian freedom of information foi act and the right to. Following recent trends and tapping into the growth of mobile phones in the country, media rights agenda, a nonprofit organisation that spearheaded advocacy around passing the bill into law in nigeria has recently launched the foi act mobile app the mobile app available on both java enabled phones and black berry can be downloaded here tags. In nigeria, the freedom of information act was passed into law on may 28, 2011. Malawi, montenegro, mozambique, namibia, nepal, nicaragua, nigeria.
A member of the house of representatives, abike dabirierewa has accused the nigerian media of a disappointing lackadaisical attitude to the freedom of information act. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. Aug 21, 2018 the freedom of information act, or foia, was signed into law by president lyndon johnson in 1966, giving the public the right to access records from any. The freedom of information act foia generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement. The freedom of information foi act signed into law on may 28, 2011 is an act that gives every nigerian a legal right of access to information, records, and documents held by government bodies and private bodies carrying out public functions. An overview of the freedom of information act an appraisal. Freedom of information acts to facilitate access to records held by government bodies and. In 2015, an organisation known as budgit approached the office of the secretary. Summary, conclusion, recommendations, introduction, suggestions for further studies, references, appendix i and appendix ii. At last, jonathan signs foi bill into law vanguard news. Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information coalition foic nigeria.
The nigerian army has set up a freedom of information office in line with the provisions of the freedom of information act 2011. Accordingly, the right of access of official information, which the bill grants will be legally enforceable. The national orientation agency, noa, has charged nigerians on the need to harness the provisions of the freedom of information foi act to demand and foster transparency and. Oct 12, 2011 the twoday national conference on the theme freedom of information act 2011 and the fight against corruption and corporate fraud in governance, organized at abuja, was the institutes way of lending its voice to the federal governments fight against corruption and corporate fraud using the foi act as a point of reference. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute. How state officials violate nigeria s freedom of information act. Nigerian guild of editors, said it received the news of the assent of president to the freedom of information bill with gratitude to a president. Central bank of nigeria freedom of information office. Freedom of information act nigeria british chamber of. The main principle behind freedom of information legislation is that people have a right to know about the activities of public authorities, unless there is a good reason for them not to.
If you would like to make a freedom of information request from any public institution in nigeria, you may use the template which we at lawpadi created foi request template. This is sometimes described as a presumption or assumption in favour of disclosure. Raw materials research and development council rmrdc. Nigeria foi was enacted in 2011, foi is an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences of disclosing certain kinds of official. Similarly, an understanding of the provisions of this act can help citizens ask the relevant questions and engage government and government institutions effectively.
Freedom of information bill in nigeria channels television. Aug 19, 2016 the freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to promote, enhance and develop our precarious democracy. A number of reasons can be deduced for this situation. Aug 01, 2012 having brought to perspective the challenges of the newly signed freedom of information act in nigeria, it is important to give the following recommendations. So far, only few states in nigeria have adopted the freedom of information act at state level. The availability of timely and accurate information from authentic sources can help in boosting national development. This study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria lawpadi. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. This document, the freedom of information foi act is an important anticorruption tool.
The passage of the freedom of information act fills a huge gap which hitherto existed in the legal framework for citizens access to information held by public officers, authorities and institutions in nigeria. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia. The head of the nigerian civil service, bukar aji, on july 30 recommended that the 2011 freedom of information act be amended to allow 14 days instead of seven to respond to requests. Malgwi2, bulama kagu3 and ibrahim danjuma4 1 department of business management, university of maiduguri nigeria 2 bursary department, university of maiduguri, 3department of education, university of maiduguri. Freedom of information act nigerian postal service. You can formally request access under the freedom of information act 1982 foi act to documents we hold. If you seek a fee waiver, provide a justification for such a waiver. Alternately, we can give you certain information if you request it through other access arrangements we have set up. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. Plot 1181 aguiyi ironsi street maitama district abuja, nigeria. Nigeria, information, go to gra area of ib talk say you want access as nigerian to the governor then see wetin u go see, \. Freedom of information act in nigeria exposes the flows of the freedom of information act and the likehood effects it will have on nigerians. Oct 15, 2018 this document, the freedom of information foi act is an important anticorruption tool.