Fake NGOs using FOI Act to blackmail officials — NEITI
Fake NGOs using FOI Act to blackmail officials — NEITI
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative warns that the Freedom of Information Act is being weaponized by fraudulent groups posing as legitimate civil society organizations. These actors allegedly use requests not for transparency, but as tools for blackmail and extortion, undermining the law’s democratic purpose. This trend threatens to transform a vital instrument for accountability into a mechanism for harassment and coercion. To combat this abuse, the initiative calls for urgent legal and institutional reforms, including criminalizing identity fraud and establishing oversight mechanisms to verify requesters. By distinguishing between genuine activism and deceptive campaigns, stakeholders aim to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s accountability ecosystem. This approach seeks to ensure that access to information remains a shield for truth rather than a sword for deception, preserving public trust in institutional responsiveness. This issue is critical to open data because it highlights the tension between transparency mandates and security concerns. If open data initiatives are exploited for malicious purposes, it could lead to restrictive policies that hinder legitimate access to public records. Protecting the integrity of open data requires robust verification and civic education to ensure that the flow of information strengthens, rather than compromises, democratic governance and public trust.
Source: punchng.comPublished on 2025-06-06