The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has requested that federal agencies and ministries live up to the obligations imposed on them by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The Guild made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday to mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
The statement was signed by the NGE’s president, Mustapha Isah, and the general secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren.
The NGE expressed worry that many federal government agencies and ministries were falling short of expectations concerning the implementation of the legislation.
Identifying the significance of access to information, the 74th UN General Assembly had proclaimed September 28 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019.
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The day had been proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015, following the adoption of the 38 C/Resolution 57 declaring September 28 of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information.
The theme of the 2021 International Day for Universal Access to Information is “The Right to Know – Building Back Better with Access to Information”.
It is to highlight the role of access to information laws and their implementation in order to ‘’build back strong institutions’’ for the public good and sustainable development.
It is also to strengthen the right to information and international cooperation in the field of implementing this human right.
The NGE said that though the FOIA was signed into law 10 years ago by former President Goodluck Jonathan, there were still contentious issues over its implementation.
“Many citizens and institutions that have sought public information from public offices, in line with the law, without any positive response, have openly protested about their difficulties.
“Many citizens and institutions have also expressed concerns over the issues surrounding the effective implementation of the law,” it said.
The Guild advised citizens, civil society groups, journalists and other media organisations that lobbied for the passage of the law to continue to monitor and test the system.
It urged them to put more pressure on government agencies and institutions to comply with the provisions of the FOIA.
