Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a. It is an act that makes provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing. 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. Even before the passage and subsequent signing of the freedom of information bill into law, there were strong views that the act was going to facilitate journalism practice in nigeria. Promotion of access to information act 2000 act no. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed. This is because a democratic society portrays freedom for the people where government policies are brought in the open for the people to make. I want you to include the home addresses, phone numbers and bank account numbers of all the public office holders in your possession. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy abuja 06. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy. Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p.
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. 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 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 is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. To trace the journey of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. Bills on hate speech and social media are dangerous. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatisfaction with the secrecy surrounding government policy development and decision making. It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will enhance access to it. An appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. Nigerian president signs freedom of information bill. Abstract freedom of information foi refers to the right which citizens in a society are expected to have. The researcher consulted secondary sources such as books, journals, and magazines.
The presidents signature may 28 came 11 years after a foi bill was first submitted to nigerias 4th national assembly in 1999. Determine the level of awareness of the provisions of the freedom of information act among journalists in nigeria 2. Going by the foi act, i am entitled to the information and i demand it as my right. This study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria. To examine the relevance of the freedom of information act. The nigerian freedom of information foi act and the right to. Ascertain the journalists perception of the strengths of the act in journalism practice. Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia.
The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed into law. To determine the way forward for effective implantation of the foia in nigeria. Aug 01, 2012 these issues motivated edetaen ojo along with other relevant ngos to initiate the bill that has become freedom of information act. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Freedom of information act in nigeria in pdf this publication is the report of the outcome of the 2000 world press freedom day workshop organized by media rights agenda in collaboration with the united nations information centre unic in lagos, unesco and nta channel 10. Pdf freedom of information foi refers to the right which citizens in a society are expected to have to access information held by government. Freedom of information and democracy are interrelated. Progress, implementation challenges and prospects funmilola olubunmi omotayo africa regional centre for information science, university of ibadan, ibadan, nigeria. So far, only few states in nigeria have adopted the freedom of information act at state level. Article 19 welcomes the adoption of the freedom of information act in nigeria in may 2011. Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.
In order to attain a measure of conceptual clarity. I would think that now that we have freedom of information as our law, you would not require a background check to understand that information is now available to all citizens and so it no longer makes sense to hoard it, if you had access to it before this. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. The coalition also works to popularize the freedom of information foi bill among various sections of the nigerian society and secure their support in the push for the enactment of the bill into law. 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. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. The paper revealed the genesis of freedom of information foi bill in nigeria and the organizations instrumental to its enactment. 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. Freedom of information bill page 1 ict policy africa. N 4 nnamdi azikiwe library university of nigeria nsukka. The nigerian government has recently stated its resolve to regulate the operation of social media and the information shared on them. Nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. Freedom of information act foi, foi coalition, nigeria, nigerian. To identify the challenges for the implementation of the freedom of information act d.
Nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. 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 was enacted a few years ago, to. 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. Printed and published by the federal government press, lagos, nigeria fgp 65012992,000 ol 2 c277 freedom of information bill, 1999 arrangement of clauses clauses. Concluded that the freedom of information act has made records or. 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. An overview of the freedom of information act an appraisal. Nigerias freedom of information bill and national development jonathan chima ogugua federal university of technology, owerri, nigeria email. By ayodele afolayan introduction freedom of information, specifically access to information held by public authorities is a fundamental element of the right to freedom of expression and vital to the proper functioning of a democracy. Freedom of information, act 2011 historically, the freedom of information bill in nigeria could be traced back to 1993 during the regime. The nigerian press and practice of journalism council bill 2009 a case of emasculating the constitutional right of freedom of expression 3 december 2009 vanguard lagos. If you refuse, i will charge you to court for violating my rights.
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. This bill may be cited as the freedom of information bill, 2011. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in. The nigerian experience, authoremmanuel uwazie anyanwu and pearl c. The bill is to ensure free flow of information and to protect public officers for giving out information in their possession. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in.
The act which is an expansion of section 39 of the constitution of the. Federal republic of nigeria, was signed into law on 28th may. Aug 19, 2016 the freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to promote, enhance and develop our precarious democracy. Freedom of the mass media and access to information proclamation no. After a decade of consistent and fearless advocacy by civil society and media practitioners, the newly elected president of. 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. Pdf freedom of information in nigeria chukwudi ezeukwu. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication ipedr.
The article traces the journeys of the foi act, and examines its provisions, first. 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. Pdf an appraisal of the freedom of information act foia in nigeria. Pdf this study appraises the freedom of information act in nigeria.
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