Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has praised the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment delivered on Friday, which affirmed that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, applies to all levels of government in Nigeria.
The organisation described the ruling as a major democratic milestone that reinforces the principle of accountability across the country’s public institutions.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, said the decision by the apex court solidifies the legal groundwork for open governance and bolsters the efforts of the media, civil society organisations, and citizens in fighting corruption and dismantling the culture of secrecy in government operations.
“MRA is obviously pleased by the judgment of the Supreme Court confirming what has always been our position on this issue—that the FOI Act is binding on all public institutions at federal, state, and local government levels,” Longe said. “It is a historic decision that has finally settled this issue and we see it as a resounding victory for transparency, accountability, and the right of every Nigerian to access information held by public institutions, regardless of their state of residence or the level of government involved.”
He criticised certain state governments and institutions that, over the last 14 years, argued that the FOI Act was only applicable to federal public bodies, citing the lack of “domestication” at the state level. According to Longe, such claims were deliberate attempts to evade accountability.
“This was obviously a ploy by such state governments to avoid being transparent or accountable, as nothing stopped them from passing their own freedom of information laws if they genuinely believed that the law passed by the National Assembly did not cover their institutions and agencies,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s judgment brings an end to that long-standing uncertainty, which we believe to have been contrived by state governments that did not want to be accountable.”
Longe added that the ruling sends a clear message to all public officials that they are duty-bound to uphold the rights of citizens to access public information and that the era of using legal ambiguity as a shield for secrecy is over.
Media Rights Agenda calls on all public institutions, especially at the state and local government levels, to immediately begin implementation and ensure full compliance with the FOI Act, including by responding to requests for information, proactively publishing all information subject to proactive disclosure, designating FOI Desk Officers as required by Act, and instituting efficient and effective procedures for members of the public applying for information.”
Longe also urged civil society organisations, the media, and citizens across the country to make full use of the law to demand accountability from public institutions at all levels and participate meaningfully in governance.