80% of Governmental Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other Public Institutions in Nigeria are in gross violation of the sacrosanct provisions of the Freedom of Information Act
Egalitarian Mission Africa disclosed this in a statement signed by
Signed by Dr. Olukayode Ajulo
Chiarman, Board of Trustees, Incorporated Trustees, Oladimeji Akinola, Esq.General Secretary, Incorporated Trustees and Hamza Nuhu Dantali, Esq.
Principal Counsel, Incorporated Trustees
EGA noted that Democracy cannot flourish if governments operate in secrecy without any recourse to the Freedom of Information Act
The statement reads further that “A bird’s eye view through the leafs of the Act reveals that public officers are mere custodians of public records and apart from granting access to an Applicant, they are mandated to regularly publish and widely disseminate to members of the public through various means including print and electronic media, pieces of information on the activities of such public institutions”
“Many of the Public Institutions fail to remit to the Attorney General of the Federation, annual returns on compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act”
They added that “Nigerians are entitled to know how the common wealth is being utilized, managed and administered in a democratic setting, as this positively influences the feeling of belonging in the society.
