Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Mo-hammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the Head of Service, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji and the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof Chidi Odinkalu have enjoined public servants to be open in handling government affairs.
They said the growing need for accountability in the conduct of public affairs had made it imperative for public officers to detach themselves from the culture of secrecy brought about by the Official Secret Act.
They said civil servants must now learn to marry the responsibility imposed on them by the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act with the requirement of secrecy under the Secret Act.
They spoke in Abuja at a two-day workshop held to examine two years of the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
The workshop, which drew participants from the civil society and the public and private sector was organised by a group, the Right to Know
Initiative (RKI). It had as its theme, “Nigeria’s FoI Act 2011 two years after: Challenges and prospect.”
Adoke said President Goodluck Jonathan signed the FOI Bill into law in view of his belief in openness and transparency in the conduct of state affairs.
The Minister said the reluctance by state officials in government agencies and ministries to utilise the FOIA would frustrate the commitment of the administration to transparency.
He urged government agencies to appoint information officers who would handle requests for information.
Aji, who was represented by Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi said the “reluctance or lack of desire by public officers to shift from a culture of secrecy to one of transparency has also been identified as a militating factor against the implementation of the Act.”
He said effort were being made by his office and the AGF’s office to encourage and demand that public bodies go beyond servicom and establish FOI units and help line for public use.
Aji noted that there had been challenges in the implementation of the law.
He advocated the extension of the time limit for compliance with FoI request from the current seven days to 14. This he said would afford public officers time to comply.
“The system is not yet fully digitalised to cope with this. It may therefore be necessary to review the time limit. I recommend its review from 7 to 14 days within which information under the Act may be disclosed,” Aji said Odinkalu commended the President Jonathan and the National Assembly for enacting the FOI Bill into law.
He noted that compliance with and utilisation of the law remained very low.
Odinkalu said the FOI Act provided a foundation for realizing the constitutional promise of equality and implemented the political declaration in section 14(2)(a) of the constitution that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria.
Odinkalu said despite the identified challenges, there was the hope that the FOI Act would produce positive impact in governance in the country.
RKI’s Chairperson, Dr. Mairo Mandara, who stressed the importance of the FoI Act in the nation’s quest for development, argued that if Nigerians accept and apply the provisions of the Act, the leaders would have no option but to be accountable to the people.
She argued that irrespective of one’s status and areas of operation, the FoI Act affords everyone the opportunity to contribute to the nation’s development
