Politics
Only 73 out of 900 govt agencies comply with FOI Act – Reps
The House of Representatives said on Friday only 73 out of over 900 public institutions in the country are complying with the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act on the disclosure of information.
The Chairman of the House Committee on FOI, Cornelius Nnaji, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the FOI Act (FOI).
According to him, the Official Secrets Act (OSA) of 1962 had continued to impede the implementation of the FOIA as it had continued to dominate the thinking and practice in the public service.
READ ALSO: Reps probe EFCC, ICPC over recovered loots
He said public officials are unwilling to commit to the information structure established under the FOI despite the repeal of the OSA.
Nnaji said 90 percent of Ministries, Department, and Agencies (MDAs) were not aware of the existence of the FOI or committed to its implementation, noting that the situation calls for intensive broad-based awareness by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders on the right to access information through the mass media to reverse the trend.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...