Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Federal Government to make a commitment to put mechanisms in place to ensure ease of access to information for citizens and create a conducive environment for journalists and media workers to safely carry out their professional duties.
In addition to enabling the government fulfil its legal obligations, such a commitment, MRA noted, would signal the government’s genuine belief in the theme of this year’s WPFD, “Information as a Public Good”, which according to Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, “underlines the indisputable importance of verified and reliable information.”
In a statement he signed on behalf of the organization, its Programme Director, Mr Ayode Longe, said: “Although Nigeria has a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, its implementation is far from satisfactory as compliance with the provisions of the Law across government has been poor. This is why we are asking government to put mechanisms in place for the effective implementation of the Act to enhance the ability of citizens to access information, which is definitely a public good.”
He explained that such mechanisms should be aimed at improving the level of compliance by public institutions with the provisions of the Act in different critical areas, including their responsiveness to requests for information from members of the public; their publication of information that they are required to proactively disclose; their submission of annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation; as well as the speedy adjudication and resolution of cases arising under the Act.
Besides, Mr. Longe argued, if the FOI Act is to make a real impact in bringing about transparent and accountable governance in Nigeria, its implementation across different levels of government also needs to be assured. He therefore called on all the States to either commit to the full implementation of the Act at their State level or take urgent steps to enact and implement their own state FOI laws.
