The bill is concerned with access to information held by three types of official entity, namely public entities, public commercial entities and holders of statutory offices. To identify the challenges for the implementation of the freedom of information act d. If you refuse, i will charge you to court for violating my rights. It took seventeen years from the origin of its first draft until its adoption. Going by the foi act, i am entitled to the information and i demand it as my right. Enacting the freedom of information bill into law will put nigeria substantially in compliance with these principles. In obafemi awolowo awolowo also wrote the influential path to nigerian freedom 1947, in which he made his case for the need of a federal form of government in an independent nigeria to safeguard the interests of each ethnic nationality and region and to create a sustainable basis for nigerian unity. This study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria. 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 law on free access to information was adopted in may 1999 and went into effect on. Nigerias freedom of information bill and national development. Abstract freedom of information foi refers to the right which citizens in a society are expected to have. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria arrangement of sections 1.
These issues motivated edetaen ojo along with other relevant ngos to initiate the bill that has become freedom of information act. So far, only few states in nigeria have adopted the freedom of information act at state level. This is because a democratic society portrays freedom for the people where government policies are brought in the open for the people to make. This is because a democratic society portrays freedom for the people where government policies are. 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. May i with all humility, therefore, take the liberty to speak on the topic freedom of expression in nigeria. 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 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. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records. May 06, 20 i had to confront this challenge headon. For the enactment of new tcpdf encoding freedom of information act. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria. Contrary to what some people think, the freedom of information act foia is not meant to witchhunt government and public officers, rather it provides the foundation for an open system of governance and consequently an open society, which will be for the benefit of all sectors of the. The big task remaining, however, is to harmonize the house and senate bills, and a joint committee to do the job has not been appointed. I want you to include the home addresses, phone numbers and bank account numbers of all the public office holders in your possession. Essay about freedom of information law in nigeria 2188 words. Navigating a meeting point between the old and the new media i shall now turn attention to the paper. 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 federal agency. Abike dabirierewa has accused the nigerian media of a disappointing lackadaisical attitude to. Nigeriaworld feature article freedom of information bill.
The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed. 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. Free press is being suppressed because it is the most efficacious weapon that shatters the sovereigns hold on information. The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. Human rights lawyers and citizens rights organizations must plan to offer free or. Freedom of information act foi, foi coalition, nigeria, nigerian. Tony anyanwu and nduka irabor for the first time and abike dabiri for the second time ojebode, 2011. When passed into law, the freedom of information bill is meant to give effect to the access to information provisions enshrined in sections 61 and 62 of the 20 zimbabwe constitution. The question still is how free is the freedom of information act 2011 and what are its. 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 act 2011 foi what it means. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a.
Extension of time limit for granting or refusing application 7. The researcher asked questions through questionnaires the contained about seventeen question. To trace the journey of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. To determine the way forward for effective implantation of the foia in nigeria. Freedom of information is a global phenomenon these days. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records and. Aug 01, 2012 these issues motivated edetaen ojo along with other relevant ngos to initiate the bill that has become freedom of information act. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. 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. Short title to the proposed act freedom of information act the freedom of information bill provides in section 3 every. 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. Nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Freedom of information act in nigeria in pdf this publication is the report of the outcome of the 2000 world press freedom day workshop. Perceptual influence of freedom of information act on journalism practice in nigeria genevieve oluchukwu abone1, jude terna kur2 1department of mass communication, anambra state university, igbariam campus, nigeria 2department of information and media technology, federal university of technology, minna, niger state, nigeria abstract.
Pdf this study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria. There is jubilation in nigeria this weekend about the freedom of information bill past this last week in abuja. I was in india recently and had to visit a government department in goa. Against this backdrop, the need for a nigeria freedom of information act foia had been emphasized by many media scholars. Philippine president rodrigo duterte signed executive order no. Jun 03, 2011 nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Pubic perception of freedom of information bill in nigeria abstract the study forces of public perception of freedom of information bill in nigeria the researcher adopted survey research method in the actual execution of the study. Index termsfreedom, information, records, office security management. The bill was developed by the freedom of information coalition. The presidents signature may 28 came 11 years after a foi bill was first submitted to nigerias 4th national assembly in 1999. It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will enhance access to it.
A human rights court ordered the government here on wednesday to. With less than a month to go until the end of the parliamentary session in nigeria, the freedom of information bill will be a priority, according to senate officials. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. The nigerian freedom of information foi act and the right to. Jun 09, 2014 guest speaker, edem andah right, speaking during a lecture on the importance of freedom of information bill visavis press freedom for the development of democracy in nigeria to mark world press freedom day at the american corner, ibadan, recently. A bill was passed by both chambers in the first quarter of 2007, but was vetoed by president olusegun obasanjo. It requires all executive departments, agencies, bureaus, and. Johnson on july 4, 1966, that granted american citizens the right to see the contents of files maintained about them by federal executive branch agencies, including the federal bureau of investigation, the. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria.
Guest speaker, edem andah right, speaking during a lecture on the importance of freedom of information bill visavis press freedom for the development of democracy in nigeria to mark world press freedom day at the american corner, ibadan, recently. Freedom of information bill in nigeria channels television. The freedom of information act provides that individuals have a right to request any recorded information held by a public authority. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication ipedr. 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. The freedom of information bill foi is a bill that, if passed into law, will give every nigerian access to information, records and documents held by government bodies and private bodies carrying out public functions. Published annually since 1972, the survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and 15 related and disputed territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic. The bill was presented to the national assembly two times by journalists. 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. Freedom in the world, freedom houses flagship publication, is the standardsetting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. A critical analysis of freedom of information act in nigeria, available at.
Freedom of information act foia, federal act signed into law by u. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. After more than a decade of being debated but what is this freedom of information bill. The researcher consulted secondary sources such as books, journals, and magazines. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in. It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will. Section 3a of the bill reflects this when it states that one object of the bill is. Freedom of information b freedom of information bill, 2019 memorandum this freedom of information bill, 2019 will repeal the acce. Freedom of information order philippines wikipedia. The federal republic of nigerias freedom of information bill hb22. The bill is to ensure free flow of information and to protect public officers for giving out information in their possession. Nigerias constitution and press freedom the tide news. Importance of freedom of information law in nigeria. Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information.
The law was passed to enable the public to access certain government information, in order to ensure transparency and accountability. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy abuja 06. International foi laws national freedom of information. Introduction the long awaited freedom of information bill has gained approval by the national assembly and assented by mr. Progress, implementation challenges and prospects funmilola olubunmi omotayo africa regional centre for information science, university of ibadan, ibadan, nigeria. The freedom of information has been the foremost battle for journalists in their struggle to inform the public about the activities and policies of government. Recorded information isnt restricted to information that is in written form, but also information or records that does not exist in print but can by regulation be produced from a machine. The first draft of the bill was prepared by tunde fagbohunlu san in 1994. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute.
N 4 nnamdi azikiwe library university of nigeria nsukka. 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. Freedom of information, act 2011 historically, the freedom of information bill in nigeria could be traced back to 1993 during the regime. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy. 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. Nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. The nigerias freedom of information act was a long awaited bill which was finally signed into law in 2011, thus putting an end to the era of secrecy in the act of governance in nigeria. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Nigerian president signs freedom of information bill. After a decade of consistent and fearless advocacy by civil society and media practitioners, the newly elected president of. Index terms freedom, information, records, office security management. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. Freedom of information bill 2012 article 19 free word centre, 60 farringdon rd, london ec1r 3ga.
The paper revealed the genesis of freedom of information foi bill in nigeria and the organizations instrumental to its enactment. Right to freedom of expression the right to freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected in section 39 of the 1999 constitution of nigeria in the following terms. Evaluative study of the freedom of information act on. Nigerias freedom of information act was passed into law on may 28 2011, after the longest legislative debate in nigerian history.
Malawi, montenegro, mozambique, namibia, nepal, nicaragua, nigeria. International foi laws national freedom of information coalition. Freedom of information and democracy are interrelated. Therefore the essence of free flow of information and. Article 19 welcomes the adoption of the freedom of information act in nigeria in may 2011. For example, we have the official secrets act, evidence act, the public complaints commission act, the statistics act and the criminal code. 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. The freedom of information amendment bill was a private members bill introduced to the house of commons of the united kingdom in 2007 which failed to become law after a sponsor for the bill could not be found in the house of lords. The executive order established the first freedom of information foi program in the philippines covering all government offices under the executive branch. In order to attain a measure of conceptual clarity. Another fundamental issue that will affect the freedom of information act is the act in some laws that are still fully operational in nigeria. An overview of the freedom of information act an appraisal from a lawyers perspective 1. Freedom of information act, 2011 explanatory memorandum this act makes public records and information more freely available, provide for. Federal republic of nigeria, was signed into law on 28th may.
Nigeria freedom of information act, 2011 and discusses the. Ironically, a free press has an undisputed role in ensuring accountability, good governance as well as overall economic development of the country. Information act 2011 and what are its implications on records and office security. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria lawpadi. Concluded that the freedom of information act has made records or. A landmark ruling secured by a citizens coalition could pave way for the passage of the right to information roi law in ghana.
To examine the relevance of the freedom of information act. Current status, challenges and implications for news media. The freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to promote. Welcome to the home page of the freedom of information coalition foic nigeria. 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. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed into law. The emergence of nigerias freedom of information act 2011. The freedom of information act 2011 was passed by both chambers of the 6th national assembly on 24th may 2011 and assented by president goodluck ebele jonathan on 28th may, 2011. 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.
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