Implementation of Freedom of Information in Nigeria: A Retrospective and Prospective View
Journal Title: Scholars Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - Year 2016, Vol 4, Issue 10
Abstract
Nigeria had the Freedom of Information Act signed into law in 2011 after several years of campaigns, since 1993. The passage of the Act signified an important step for Nigeria in actualizing the principles of transparency in public affairs. It was a victory for the many civil society organisations, mainly human rights and media based non-governmental organisations that keep the faith and continued to push the passage of the act after years of setback. Since the return to civil rule in 1999 several civil society organisations operating under the umbrella of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Coalition, coordinated by Media Rights Agenda (MRA), had sustained the campaign until President Goodluck Jonathan assented to it in 2011, shortly upon coming to power after the elections of that year. With the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, there was expectation that the secrecy that surrounds government activities, in particular, would be made open – the culture of transparency and openness would prevail. But it requires more than the passage of the bill into law to meet the expectations that many people had. It is important to recount some of the actions that were taken to actualize the FOI and to discuss the prospects that this holds for Nigeria. It is one way by which the effects of the implementation of the FOI can be examined and suggestions for greater effect made. The Freedom of Information Act is a piece of legislation that allows access to public information held by government or private organisations that operate in the public domain. Keywords: organisations, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), FOI.
Authors and Affiliations
Abubakar Mu’azu
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP378985
- DOI -
- Views 100
- Downloads 0
Portrait of a Woman in the Poetry of Hafiz Ibrahim and Mohammad Taqi Bahar
Attention to the woman and express her suffering and problems are emerging issues in contemporary literature of Iran and Egypt. Hafez Ibrahim and Bahar are the contemporary poets of Iran and Egypt that according to the s...
Regional conflicts; Intervention and Resolution: The United States– Libya Example
United States intervention in regional conflicts under the auspices of the United Nations is most times deemed to be undertaken for humanitarian reasons – checking human rights abuses, strengthening democratic experiment...
The Green Structure in Moundou: Between Old Design and Current Expectations
As everywhere in Africa, urbanization of certain regions by colonists respected in the slightest degree the urban standards. They planned green space for a green urban living, and relaxation and to embelish the city. Fro...
A Study on the Medical Security of Migrant Workers
Abstract: At present, China is in the process of accelerating the industrialization, urbanization and information. More and more rural labor force is chosen to be employed in the city. According to the statistics, the nu...
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s Speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’: Some Implications
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the independent India, delivered a speech entitled “Tryst with destiny” towards midnight on 14August 1947. Speaking from the ramparts of the historical Red Fort in Del...