Group Slams Buhari’s Administration Over FOI Violations

Group Slams Buhari’s Administration Over FOI Violations | African Examiner

The Media Rights Agenda’s report on the Buhari administration exposes a systemic failure in implementing Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act, establishing a troubling legacy of institutional secrecy. Public agencies routinely withheld information and ignored reporting obligations without consequence, effectively normalizing a culture of opacity. This widespread non-compliance undermined the Act’s core purpose of ensuring government transparency and accountability to the citizenry. Despite the law requiring annual reporting by all federal institutions, compliance remained exceptionally low, with only a tiny fraction of agencies submitting the necessary documents. The Attorney General’s office failed to enforce penalties or update guidelines to reflect modern technological advancements, leaving oversight mechanisms ineffective. This lack of enforcement signaled official indifference to the legal mandates, allowing impunity to flourish across the civil service and eroding public trust in government operations. This case highlights the critical link between legislative frameworks and open data practices, demonstrating that laws alone are insufficient without active enforcement and resource allocation. For the open_data community, the report serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unimplemented transparency policies. It underscores the urgent need for the incoming administration to prioritize proactive disclosure, adequate budgeting, and strict adherence to information access laws to truly foster a culture of accountability.

Source: africanexaminer.com
Published on 2023-05-31

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