The Media Rights Agenda has commended the move by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, to improve public institutions’ compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
The civil society organisation in a press statement described the Speaker’s proposals as “a renewed opportunity to institutionalise transparency in public affairs and strengthen citizens’ trust in Government”.
Abbas made the proposals on Tuesday, June 24, during the opening ceremony of a workshop titled “Upholding Accountability and Transparency in Governance: A Comprehensive Review of FOIA Law for Public and Corporate Organisations.”
The Speaker called for mandatory and enforceable budgeting for FOI compliance by all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government during the annual appropriation process.
He indicated that the 10th House may consider FOI compliance as a condition for budgetary considerations for MDAs that are reluctant to comply with the Act and habitually fail to honour their obligations under the law.
Mr. Ayode Longe, Deputy Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, praised the Speaker for his clear recognition of the critical role that access to information plays in ensuring transparency, accountability, and participatory governance.
“We consider his proposals, which are in total alignment with similar recommendations by Media Rights Agenda over the years, to be a timely and important step towards addressing the persistent culture of secrecy and non-compliance that has undermined the effectiveness of the FOI Act for over a decade,” Longe said in a statement issued in Lagos.
Longe expressed support for the Speaker’s position that the financial allocations for FOI-related activities in the Federal Government’s budget of less than 0.0005 per cent of the national budget are negligible and unacceptable.
He noted that the Speaker’s acknowledgement that many public institutions fail to implement the FOI Act due to lack of dedicated resources was particularly encouraging.
“His recommendation that compliance with the FOI Act should be institutionalised through budgetary provisions is a practical and impactful intervention that aligns with international best practices on open governance,” Longe added.
The MRA official pointed out that since the enactment of the FOI Act, civil society organisations have consistently drawn attention to the reluctance of many public institutions to meet their obligations under the law.
These failures include non-response to requests for information, non-designation of FOI Desk Officers, non-submission of annual compliance reports, inadequate staff training, and failure to proactively publish required categories of information.
Longe argued that the Speaker’s proposals, if implemented, will ensure resources are allocated specifically for setting up FOI units in public institutions, staff training on implementation, proper maintenance of records, including digitisation, and preparing mandatory annual FOI compliance reports.
He urged the National Assembly to take concrete legislative and oversight measures to actualise the Speaker’s proposals, including amending relevant appropriation regulations and incorporating performance indicators tied to transparency and responsiveness to information requests.
“As Nigeria continues to battle corruption, insecurity, underdevelopment, and public mistrust in government, full and effective implementation of the FOI Act should not be simply a legal obligation but a governance imperative,” Longe said.
Media Rights Agenda expressed readiness to support the National Assembly, the Executive, and other stakeholders in ensuring the realisation of the proposals and full implementation of the FOI Act for the benefit of all Nigerians.