CSOs call for increased access to information in Niger Delta

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have called for increased access to information in the country’s Niger Delta region in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

The CSOs, under the auspices of the Niger Delta Open Governance Observatory, made the call in a statement issued on 28 September in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to mark the 2024 International Day for Universal Access to Information.

Tijah Bolton-Akpan signed the statement on behalf of the Niger Delta Open Governance Observatory.

Mr Bolton-Akpan is the executive director of Policy Alert, a non-profit organisation which promotes good governance and accountability in the Niger Delta region.

The Niger Delta Open Governance Observatory is a multi-centre walk-in and digital hub operated by a collective of CSOs led by Policy Alert.

“The Niger Delta is a broad and complex political and socio-economic system of 194 sub-nationals, comprising nine states and 185 local government areas with shared and sometimes unique development challenges.

“The public institutions saddled with the responsibility of delivering services to citizens across the region have a responsibility under the law to treat information as a public good by ensuring that citizens have the ability to seek, receive, and transmit information without interference,” the statement said.

The CSOs said the quantum of fiscal flows that enter the Niger Delta region through state governments, local governments, and intervention agencies starkly contrasts with the evidence of development and poor social indicators on the ground.

“This creates a high demand for access to publicly held information to enable citizens (to) ask the right questions to improve transparency, accountability, and service delivery.

“However, it is disappointing that eight states in the region are yet to enact a Freedom of Information legislation at the state level,” the statement added.

The CSOs said they would unveil their findings of the Niger Delta FOI Rankings on 30 September (today) to mark the 2024 International Day for Universal Access to Information.

“The ranking seeks to assess the compliance level of public institutions with the benchmark of citizens’ access to public information in the custody of MDA’s as stipulated in the FOI Act 2011,” the statement said.

The theme of this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information is “Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector”.