The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has emerged the best in the implementation of Freedom of Information (Fo1) Act, in the 2024 survey sample jointly conducted by the Accountability Lab Nigeria, Public and Private Development Center (PPDC), Media Right Agenda, International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), BudgiT Foundation, and Right2Know (R2K).
The report which was released in Abuja, indicated that the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) was the first runner-up, the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) emerged second runner-up, while the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NIPC, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), National Bureau of Statistics(NBS), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and National Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) made the top 10.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table are the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA); Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN); Federal Ministry of Police Affairs; Industrial Arbitration Panel; National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, among others.
On the methodology used for the survey, it was disclosed that 245 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government were engaged in the 2024 FoI implementation survey, and points were assigned based on three parameters, namely, Proactive Disclosure, Level of Responsiveness to request for Information and Level of Disclosure.
On the Level of Proactiveness, the report stated that 1.22 per cent of the 245 MDAs are Fully Proactive, 6.94 per cent Partially Proactive, while 91.84 per cent are non-Proactive.
On year-on-year comparison, the report highlighted that the MDAs with full proactiveness increased by 50 percent from two in the previous year to three in 2024, while MDAs with partial proactiveness decreased by
46.9 per cent from 32 in the previous year to 17 in 2024. It also noted that the non proactiveness by MDAs increased by 10.3 per cent from 204 in the previous year to 225 in 2024.
On the Level of Disclosure, the report noted that 9.39 per cent (23) of the 245 MDAs fully disclosed the information requested; 5.71 per cent (14) of the MDAs partially disclosed the information requested, while 84.9 per cent (208) of the MDAs failed to disclosed the information requested.
On year-on-year comparison, it noted that MDAs with full disclosure increased by 64.3 per cent from 14 in the previous year to 23 in 2024, MDAs with partial disclosure decreased by 72.5 per cent from 51 in the previous year to 14 in 2024. However, the non-disclosure by MDAs increased by 20.2 per cent from 173 in the previous year to 208 in 2024.
On Level of Responsiveness, the report noted that 20 percent of MDAs responded within seven days of request; 7.8 per cent of MDAs responded within 8-14 days of request, while 91.84 per cent of MDAs responded after 14 days or never responded which is against some sections of the FoI Act.
On year-on-year comparison, the report stated that the number of MDAs that responded within 14 days increased by 6.25 per cent from 64 in the previous year to 68. The number of MDAs ranked increased by 2.5 per cent from 239 in the previous year to 245 in 2024.
Coordinator R2K Nigeria, Ene Nwankpa, in her remarks, said the outcome of the report marks a significant milestone in promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public institutions.
Nwankpa, who was represented by Victoria Etim, said: “The theme, ‘Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector,’ reflects our collective commitment to ensuring the effective implementation of the FOI Act.
“Over the years, we’ve observed notable progress, with several institutions consistently demonstrating excellence in implementation and compliance. But the challenges have persisted, including the lack of sufficient proactive disclosure of information, harassment by some security sector institutions, and the blatant refusal of some institutions to disclose. Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the FOI Act.”
The PPDC Chief Executive, Lucy Abagi, in her remarks, said the survey had four objectives which was to entrench accountability, improve resource management, promote proactive disclosure, and empower citizens.
“By achieving these objectives, we create a more open, accountable, and responsive
government,” she said.
