CSOs demand increased access to information in Niger Delta

Civil society organisations under the auspices of the Niger Delta Open Governance Observatory (NOGO) have called for increased access to publicly held information at all levels in the Niger Delta region in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

The call was made in a statement to mark the 2024 International Day for Universal Access to Information which is held on September 28 every year.

NOGO is a multi-centre walk-in and digital hub operated by a collective of CSOs led by Policy Alert that works to improve open government knowledge, information, innovation, and advocacy in the Niger Delta region.

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According to the statement, signed by the Executive Director of Policy Alert, one of the organisations, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, the theme of this year’s commemoration, “Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector” shows the significant role of information to the public in defending human rights and advancing development, democracy and equality.

“The Niger Delta is a broad and complex political and socio-economic system of 194 subnational, comprising nine states and 185 local government areas with shared and sometimes unique development challenges.

“The public institutions saddled with the responsibility of delivering services to citizens across the region have a responsibility under the law to treat information as a public good by ensuring that citizens have the ability to seek, receive, and transmit information without interference”, the statement partly said.

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“The huge amount of funds coming to the Niger Delta region through state governments, local governments, and intervention agencies starkly contrasts with the evidence of development and poor social indicators on the ground.

“This creates a high demand for access to publicly-held information to enable citizens ask the right questions to improve transparency, accountability, and service delivery. However, it is disappointing that eight states in the region are yet to enact a Freedom of Information legislation at the state level”, it added.

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The statement explained that to mark the 2024 International Day for Universal Access to Information, the Niger Delta Open Government Observatory (NOGO) would be unveiling the findings of the Niger Delta FOI Rankings at an online event online on Monday, September 30, 2024.

“The ranking seeks to assess the compliance level of public institutions with the benchmark of citizens’ access to public information in the custody of MDA’s as stipulated in the FOI Act 2011”, the statement added.