By Esther Olaifa
Stakeholders in the information, legal and academic sectors have noted that women and other marginalised groups continue to face barriers to accessing information they need to participate fully in public life, hold government accountable and make informed decisions.
They therefore called for stronger implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and greater attention to the information needs and access barriers faced by women and other underserved groups.
The call was made at a one-day multi-stakeholder conference organised by Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC) to commemorate the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2026.
Speaking at the event, Ms Ayomide Eweje, Programme Officer at MRA, said the gender dimensions of FOI implementation remained inadequately addressed, with women and other marginalised groups often facing additional barriers to accessing information and participating fully in transparency and accountability processes.
She urged civil society organisations and the media “to pay greater attention to the gender dimensions of FOI implementation by identifying information needs that affect women and other underserved groups and addressing barriers that may limit their ability to exercise their right to information.”
Eweje also stressed the need to incorporate gender considerations into FOI advocacy to ensure that women and other marginalised groups can meaningfully access information.
Earlier in his address, the Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, noted that public institutions have a responsibility to make credible information available, explain decisions clearly and respond appropriately to legitimate requests for information.
He further said the challenge was not simply whether information was available, but whether systems for accessing, verifying and using public information were sufficiently strong to support democratic accountability.
Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), said the role of civil society organisations was not only to demand transparency from government but also to ask questions, obtain evidence, monitor compliance, expose implementation gaps, support citizens and ensure that information reaches those whose rights and lives depend on it.
Dr Akiyode-Afolabi, who was represented by Mr Olaniyi Olaniyan, Director, Media and Communications, said the FOI Act gives Nigerians a legal right to access information, adding that civil society organisations must help turn that legal right into a lived reality.
Mr Alimi Adamu, Principal Partner, Adamu and Adamu & Co. (Legal Practitioners), who spoke on “The Role of Lawyers in the Implementation of the FOI Act,” said there was a need to pursue legal remedies, including litigation where necessary, to enforce compliance with the Act, particularly in cases involving wrongful denial of requests for information.
He also observed that the lack of effective sanctions for non-compliance with the provisions of the Act was contributing to a culture of impunity among public institutions and undermining the effectiveness of the law.
Ms Anike-Ade Funke Treasure, Executive Director, Illuminate Nigeria Development Network, who spoke on the role of the media in the effective implementation of the FOI Act, said “the increasing volume and speed of information circulating through digital platforms made access to authoritative and verifiable public information increasingly important to public discourse and accountability.”
She stressed the need for collaboration among media organisations, legal practitioners and civil society organisations in using the FOI Act to investigate issues of public interest, monitor government programmes and expenditure, counter misinformation and promote accountability.
Participants reaffirmed that the right of access to information remains central to transparency, accountability, public participation, and democratic governance.
