Article 19 welcomes the adoption of the freedom of information act in nigeria in may 2011. The availability of timely and accurate information from authentic sources is a booster to national development. The bill is to ensure free flow of information and to protect public officers for giving out information in their possession. The values of the roman republic included freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It also took the bill three journeys to the national assembly. The paper revealed the genesis of freedom of information foi bill in nigeria and the organizations instrumental to its enactment. 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. Introduction the long awaited freedom of information bill has gained approval by the national assembly and assented by mr. Freedom of information act, 2011 explanatory memorandum this act makes public records and information more freely available, provide for. Virtually all government information in nigeria is classified as top secret. International foi laws national freedom of information.
May 06, 20 nigeria is operating now as a democracy so the freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions, receive and impart ideas without interference should be a fundamental right guaranteed under the universal declaration of human rights udhr, the african charter on human and peoples rights, achpr. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy abuja 06. In a country where press freedom is already under grave threat, the revocation of an independent publications license to operate and a proposed amendment to the bill of rights are pushing journalists further into the margins. Request the applicant to complete the form or assist.
Freedom of information is a necessity in order to salvage the nation nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. The government of the united kingdom has theorised it as being an extension of freedom of speech, and a fundamental human right. The signing of the freedom of information,foi, bill into law by president goodluck jonathan represents a remarkable leap forward in the countrys quest to. 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. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in. Udofa department of public law, faculty of law university of uyo, uyo, akwa ibom state, nigeria abstract section 391 of the 1999 constitution of nigeria guarantees freedom of expression as a fundamental right. Another fundamental issue that affects the freedom of information act is some other media laws that are still fully operational in nigeria. 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. 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. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in.
Aug 15, 2016 the digital rights and freedom bill is a very timely intervention in nigerias digital economy and represents a bridge to nigerias prosperous digital future. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a. I notwithstanding anything contained in any other act, law or regulation, the. Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information coalition foic nigeria. It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will enhance access to it. Edetaen ojo, head media rights agenda mra, a young organization for the defense of free expression rights, civil liberties organization clo, and the. Free press is being suppressed because it is the most efficacious weapon that shatters the sovereigns hold on information. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria arrangement of sections 1. For example, we have the official secrets act, evidence act, the public complaints commission act, the statistics act, and the criminal code.
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. Department of mass communication delta state university, abraka, nigeria abstract this paper takes another look at the state of press freedom in nigeria, given fifteen years of uninterrupted democracy in the country. 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. 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. The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. It is related to freedom of expression, which can apply to any medium, be it oral, writing, print, electronic, or through art forms. The question still is how free is the freedom of information act 2011 and what are its. 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. 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.
You are part of the reason why people cant walk up to their government to make their demands known, something that happens in other countries with no personal connections necessary. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed into law. Information without authorization and establish procedures for the achievement of those purposes and related purposes thereof, 2011 commencement be it enacted by the national assembly of the federal republic of nigeria as follows 1. Nigeriaworld feature article freedom of information bill. The government of the time considered such a bill dangerous for a number of. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records. The focus of this paper is to xray the nigerian freedom of information bill, its relevance and challenges in the scheme of national. N 4 nnamdi azikiwe library university of nigeria nsukka. Ironically, a free press has an undisputed role in ensuring accountability, good governance as well as overall economic development of the country. Freedom of information bill 2012 article 19 free word centre, 60 farringdon rd, london ec1r 3ga. 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 record exclusions exemptions.
Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. The freedom of information office, in discharging its duties, shall, at all times, collaborate with legal services department and other business units in addressing requests and ensure that the laid down procedures are followed at all times as indicated below. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed. Aug 01, 2012 for a country like nigeria that had witnessed decades of military rule where press freedom was restricted, it came as a relief when the freedom of information bill was signed into law. In nigeria, the day was observed in the major cities with pomp and pageantry with speakers calling upon the national assembly to pass the freedom of information bill fol that has been pending in the two chambers of the national assembly for over five years now. Extension of time limit for granting or refusing application 7. Jan 26, 2018 in a country where press freedom is already under grave threat, the revocation of an independent publications license to operate and a proposed amendment to the bill of rights are pushing journalists further into the margins. In order to attain a measure of conceptual clarity. Freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act is a legal extension of the constitutional provisions on freedom of expression designed partly to give practical expression to that provision. This bill may be cited as the freedom of information bill, 2011. Freedom of information act applicable to all state in nigeria. Edetaen ojo, executive director of media rights agenda, gave an extensive interview to the independent. Challenges that are confronting the implementation of the act are. The limit of information act in freedom of information act 2011 and the fight against corruption and corporate fraud in governance.
With the coming into force of the act, every person now has a legal right of. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. The freedom of information foi bill is a bill 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. It is an act for accessing public information to service the peoples right to know.
Summary of kazakhstans constitutional guarntees of freedom of information extracted from the constitution. 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. Concluded that the freedom of information act has made records or. 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. The digital rights and freedom bill is a very timely intervention in nigerias digital economy and represents a bridge to nigerias prosperous digital future. This was because the bill empowers nigerians to ask critical questions and demand critical documents or information. A human rights court ordered the government here on wednesday to. Governmental organs, social associations, officials, and mass media are obligated to provide every citizen with the opportunity to become acquainted with documents, decisions, and sources of information affecting her or his rights and interests. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records and. Obstacles to the implementation of the freedom of information act, 2011 in nigeria page 96 obstacles to the implementation of the freedom of information act, 2011 in nigeria abstract the freedom of information act is the law that gives citizens the right to access information from government institutions and agencies. Determine the level of awareness of the provisions of the freedom of information act among journalists in nigeria 2. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. It is thought that the ancient athenian democratic principle of free speech may have emerged in the late 6th or early 5th century bc.
Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Freedom of speech and expression has a long history that predates modern international human rights instruments. A landmark ruling secured by a citizens coalition could pave way for the passage of the right to information roi law in ghana. 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.
It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria. Pdf freedom of information in nigeria chukwudi ezeukwu. Right to freedom of expression and the law of defamation in nigeria imo j.
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. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. Duterte administration moves to kill free speech in the. Freedom of information is an extension of freedom of speech, a fundamental human right recognized in international law, which is today understood more generally as freedom of expression in any medium, be it orally, in writing, print, through the internet or through art forms. So far, only few states in nigeria have adopted the freedom of information act at state level. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in. Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information.
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. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia. Edetaen ojo, executive director of media rights agenda, gave an extensive interview to the independent with emma maduabuchi, assistant features editor. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy. Central bank of nigeria freedom of information office. Enacted by the national assembly of the federal republic of nigeria 1. While the constitution of the philippines guarantees press freedom and. Index termsfreedom, information, records, office security management.
Ajimobi disowns freedom of information foi act in oyo state a lawyers explanation of the freedom of information act 2011 1 2 reply go down the freedom of information foi act 2011. Ascertain the journalists perception of the strengths of the act in journalism practice. Nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. 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. For the enactment of new tcpdf encoding freedom of information act. After a decade of consistent and fearless advocacy by civil society and media practitioners, the newly elected president of.
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