Senate Passes Freedom of Information Bill

TheNews, Vol. 27, No. 20:  27 November, 2006

The Senate on Wednesday 15 November passed the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. Initiated in 1999 by a coalition of civil society groups, the bill had been passed by the House of Representatives in August 2004.

Entitled “A bill for an Act to make public records and information more freely available”, the bill was passed by the Senate after a third reading. When it fully becomes law, members of the public, especially journalists, would have unhindered access to public records or documents, which they had earlier been denied.

The bill operates on three principles, the declassification of public information; right of access to public information; and the principle of right of undisclosure.

When the positions of the Senate and House of Reps on the bill have been harmonized by a Joint Committee of the National Assembly, the bill would be presented to President Obasanjo for his assent before it becomes law. However, if he fails to do so within 30 days, the National Assembly will override his veto, thereby making the bill a law.

Reacting to passage of the bill, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN described it as good for Nigerian democracy. “The passage of the bill signifies a greater and wider latitude for journalists to do their jobs and perform the role of holding government accountable to the people, as enshrined under Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.

The president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Olisa Agbakoba, also commended passage of the bill. “It is a welcome development. I initiated the FOI when I was the President of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO). The Freedom of Information bill represents a key component of democratic freedom.”

Meanwhile, some civil society groups, including the CLO and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have urged the joint committee of the National Assembly to expedite action on the bill so that it would become a substantive law very soon.