Civil society organisations have renewed calls for transparency and accountability at the grassroots, warning that persistent non-compliance with Nigeria’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is undermining local governance, worsening poverty and eroding public trust.
The call was made at a one-day stakeholders’ roundtable held in Umuahia, Abia State, under the programme, Reviving the Grassroots: Citizens-Led Advocacy for Accountability and Reform in South East Nigeria. The event was organised by the Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights, with support from the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room. It brought together civil society actors, lawyers, community leaders and governance advocates.
Presenting the lead paper, Freedom of Information Act in Nigeria: Proactive Disclosure, Compliance Obligations and Action Points, the convener, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, said the 2011 Act was enacted to shift public administration from secrecy to openness but has suffered widespread neglect, particularly among ministries, departments, agencies and local governments. He explained that the law rests on three pillars: proactive disclosure of information without request, routine disclosure upon demand, and mandatory compliance overseen by the Attorney-General of the Federation. According to him, poor record-keeping, institutional resistance and weak enforcement have turned access to information into an exception rather than a right. He noted that failure to maintain records is itself a violation of the Act.
Ononamadu said proactive disclosure under Section 2 of the Act remains the most transformative yet least implemented provision. It requires public institutions to regularly publish information on their structures, functions, budgets, contracts, audits, personnel and decision-making processes through print and digital platforms. He added that citizens retain the right to seek judicial enforcement where institutions fail to comply.
Also speaking, Barrister Uche Nwokocha focused on the practical application of the Act at the local government level, explaining that it grants any person or organisation the legal right to access public records without demonstrating a specific interest. She said the law applies not only to government bodies but also to private entities performing public functions or using public funds, describing access to information as central to democratic participation and freedom of expression.
Nwokocha outlined how citizens can demand details of local government budgets, expenditure, contracts and service delivery, noting that silence or failure to respond within the stipulated timeframe amounts to a refusal that can be challenged in court. While acknowledging statutory exemptions such as national security and personal privacy, she said the burden of justifying secrecy rests with public institutions. She added that court decisions at national and regional levels have affirmed the enforceability of the Act.
Participants linked weak information disclosure to broader development challenges, arguing that secrecy fuels corruption, waste and abuse of public resources. They said open access to information enables citizens to track public spending, monitor projects and service delivery, reduce leakages and ensure that funds meant for health, education and social protection reach their intended beneficiaries. Transparency, they added, also strengthens investor confidence, supports evidence-based policymaking and helps address the root causes of insecurity.
During the roundtable, participants called for stronger political commitment to enforcing the FOI Act, improved record management and digital disclosure systems, regular civil society monitoring and audits, and strategic litigation against defaulting institutions. They agreed that Nigeria’s governance challenge lies not in the absence of laws, but in the failure to implement them, warning that meaningful reform at the grassroots depends on making openness a daily practice rather than a legal ideal.
