UYO, Nigeria (ChatnewsTV) — Civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Niger Delta have called for increased access to public information across the region, urging the government to uphold the principles of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011. The demand was made on Monday by the Niger Delta Open Governance Observatory (NOGO), in a statement marking the 2024 International Day for Universal Access to Information.
“The theme for this year’s event, ‘Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector,’ highlights the crucial role of information in protecting human rights, fostering development, and promoting democracy and equality,” said Tijah Bolton-Akpan, Executive Director of Policy Alert, the lead CSO in NOGO.
Bolton-Akpan emphasized that the Niger Delta’s complex political and socio-economic landscape, which includes nine states and 185 local government areas, faces significant development challenges. “Public institutions must treat information as a public good, ensuring citizens can seek, receive, and share information freely,” he said.
The statement expressed concern over the disparity between the substantial fiscal inflows into the region and the slow pace of development. “Despite the billions flowing through state and local governments, and various intervention agencies, development indicators remain poor. Citizens need access to public information to hold these institutions accountable,” the statement read.
NOGO also lamented that eight of the nine Niger Delta states have yet to enact state-level FOI laws, calling this a critical barrier to transparency.
As part of the 2024 commemoration, NOGO is set to unveil the Niger Delta FOI Rankings, which assess how well public institutions comply with the FOIA’s standards for granting citizens access to information. The findings will be presented at a virtual event on September 30, 2024.
