Federal republic of nigeria, was signed into law on 28th may. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. Just coming from a period that saw national outcry against the frivolous petitions bill, popularly known as the antisocial media bill, and the. The presidents signature may 28 came 11 years after a foi bill was first submitted to nigerias 4th national assembly in 1999. The bill was presented initially in 1999 when the return to democratic governance heightened the expectation that there will be increased disposition towards freer. A landmark ruling secured by a citizens coalition could pave way for the passage of the right to information roi law in ghana. Freedom of information act applicable to all state in nigeria. A twoday national summit on the freedom of information bill was held at the valencia hotel, abuja on tuesday, august 2 and wednesday, august 3, 2005. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication ipedr. Introduction the long awaited freedom of information bill has gained approval by the national assembly and assented by mr. There is jubilation in nigeria this weekend about the freedom of information bill past this last week in abuja.
Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Accordingly, the right of access of official information, which the bill grants will be legally enforceable. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. The freedom of information act 2011 foi what it means. Pdf his paper examines nigerias freedom of information act, with special interest in the opportunities and challenges therein. Nigerian treasury bills debt management office nigeria. A bill was passed by both chambers in the first quarter of 2007, but was vetoed by president olusegun obasanjo. Challenges that are confronting the implementation of the act are. The focus of this paper is to xray the nigerian freedom of information bill, its relevance and challenges in the scheme of national development. 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. Aug 01, 2012 these issues motivated edetaen ojo along with other relevant ngos to initiate the bill that has become freedom of information act. The act affords everyone regardless of tribe, age, creed, a right of access to information or records held by public institutions and relevant private entities, irrespective of the form in which such information or records are kept. Apr, 2018 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 foi, the court of. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p.
Historically, the freedom of information bill in nigeria could be traced back to 1993 during the regime of general sani abacha in which transparent government was not the order of the day. After a decade of consistent and fearless advocacy by civil society and media practitioners, the newly elected president of nigeria, goodluck jonathan, has acceded to the legitimate demands and aspirations of the majority of nigerians by signing off the longawaited right to information law. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed into law. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia.
The question still is how free is the freedom of information act 2011 and what are its. Ascertain the journalists perception of the strengths of the act in journalism practice. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy. The modern concept of freedom of information act is traceable to the united. Supremacy of the constitution and good governance in nigeria benedict d.
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. Nigeriaworld feature article freedom of information bill. Pdf freedom of information foi refers to the right which citizens in a society are expected to have to access information held by government. A human rights court ordered the government here on wednesday to.
Offer opens may 21, 2020 and closes june 2, 2020 21 may 2020. Edetaen ojo, executive director of media rights agenda, gave an extensive interview to the independent with emma maduabuchi, assistant features editor. Freedom of information is a separate concept which sometimes comes into conflict with the right to privacy in the content of the internet and information technology. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria. Nigerian president signs freedom of information bill. I have observed that there is increasing frustration or at least a shift in focus internationally from the adoption campaigns of the last two decades or so in favour of exploring the challenge of ensuring more effective implementation. It was organized by the freedom of information coalition, in collaboration with the national human rights commission nhrc, the independent corrupt practices and other related offences commission icpc, and the economic and financial crimes. Short title page 19 nigerian communications act, 2003 a287a 349 printed and published by the federal government printer, lagos, nigeria. Extension of time limit for granting or refusing application 7. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records and. Nigerian content development bill 2005a bill to make provi. Freedom of information bill in nigeria for over eight years, the protagonists of the freedom of information bill have been toiling to get it passed at the national assembly. The freedom of information bill that finally emerged in nigeria is one of the best in the world, according to a key figure in the successful campaign for a foi law in nigeria.
An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. The paper revealed the genesis of freedom of information foi bill in nigeria and the organizations instrumental to its enactment. I was in india recently and had to visit a government department in goa. After more than a decade of being debated but what is this freedom of information bill. As with the right to freedom of expression, the right to privacy is a recognized human right and freedom of information acts as an extension to this right.
The bill is to ensure free flow of information and to protect public officers for giving out information in their possession. It was not surprising, therefore, that when nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, one of the first moves by civil society was to lobby for a law that would enable nigerians to demand information about government and public institutions and would protect government officials. The relevance of the information bill is that it give room to openness and transparency. Nigeria introduction this statement provides an overview of recent developments affecting prospects for greater freedom of information and expression in nigeria ahead of general elections scheduled for april 2007. The bill was introduced in the house of representatives on june 2, 2016 by umar buba jibril, a lawmaker from kogi state, elected on the platform of the all progressives congress apc. 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. Ewemie and ainabor augutine e abstract the dynamics of nigeria s history has imposed on it a succession of leaders who ruled in such a way that sharply showed absence of good governance in nigeria s developmental efforts. Aug 15, 2016 something exciting is brewing in nigeria. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in.
Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a. Nigerias freedom of information bill and national development jonathan chima ogugua federal university of technology, owerri, nigeria email. 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. Going by the foi act, i am entitled to the information and i demand it. Aug 19, 2016 the freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to promote, enhance and develop our precarious democracy. This means that some mischievous public officers can use these sections for unjust and mischievous purposes. Freedom of information bill frequently asked questions subject to the provisions of this act but notwithstanding anything contained in any other act, law or regulation, every citizen of the federal republic of nigeria, has a legally enforceable right to, and shall, on application be given access to any record under the control of a. Review of relevant information on nigerias democracyfactsheet july, 2017 objective of the bill. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria arrangement of sections 1. The nigerian freedom of information foi act and the right to.
Commencement be it enacted by the national assembly of the federal republic of nigeria as follows. 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 adverse consequences for disclosing certain kinds of official information without authorization and. Current status, challenges and implications for news media. Jun 03, 2011 nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Primacy is granted to the provisions of the freedom of information act in instances of conflict with other laws. Determine the level of awareness of the provisions of the freedom of information act among journalists in nigeria 2. The limit of information act in freedom of information act 2011 and the fight against corruption and corporate fraud in governance. The freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to.
Freedom of information is a necessity in order to salvage the nation nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. With the coming into force of the act, every person now has a legal right of. Index termsfreedom, information, records, office security management. The objective of the bill is to establish a body the commission responsible for the supervision, coordination and monitoring of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations in nigeria, with the aim of enabling them accomplish their. The act which is an expansion of section 39 of the constitution of the. Dogora, yakubu 2010, a bill for an act to provide for personal data protection to regulate the processing of information n relating to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use or. The nigerian house of representatives and senate both passed a freedom of information bill foib in august 2004 and november 2006. Freedom of information bill passed by the national assembly, one of his major excuses was that it would undermine nigerias national security, especially in the light of the fact that a decision by the head of a public institution to deny access to information would be subject to. An overview of the freedom of information act an appraisal. In nigeria, the case is different as the freedom of information act, according to ogbuokiri 2011, contains more exemption sections and clauses than sections that grant access to information. Edetaen ojo, head media rights agenda mra, a young organization for the defense of free expression rights, civil liberties organization clo, and the nigerian union of journalists nuj lagos branch. Nigeria prior to 2011, enshrined the right to freedom of speech in section 39 of her.
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