EXPLORING THE CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Challenges, FOIA, Freedom of Information, Nigeria, InformationAbstract
This study discussed on the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was passed in 2011, anticipating a remarkable milestone in transparency, accountability and democratic governance in Nigeria. However, legal enactment does not necessarily guarantee the effective enforcement of the law, thus the implementation of the FOI has been beset with a myriad of challenges. The Public Sphere Theory propounded by Jürgen Habermas in 1962 was used as theoretical framework. This study analyzes key factors hindering the successful implementation of the FOI Act in Nigeria which include institutional apathy, nonchalance and lack of adequate enforcement, as well as devoid of technological means. This investigation, along with checking literature and other jurisdictions, convinces us that persistent cultural, legal and infrastructural constraints restrict the fulfillment of the democratic intents of the FOI Act. The study also investigates the impact of advocacy and suggested further public education campaigns, comprehensive institutional restructuring and an autonomous monitoring agency for the proactive civil society needed alarming oversight gap. The gaps exposed in this investigation urge reform suggesting loose legal frameworks, technology gaps and action gaps alongside constitution and governance principles engineering direct legislative-driven impact on states to free information access barriers sought by citizens to achieve
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