Adeyemi’s ‘Fake’ Council Listed Tinubu, Wike, Cardoso, Akume Others As Board Members
From Victor Osula, Abuja The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the activities of the fake...
Tinubu Receives ICPC Report On ‘Fake’ Presidential Agency
President Bola Tinubu has received the interim report of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission...
Lagos, Delta, Rivers, Ogun Missing As Abia Tops 9 Others in Governance, Citizen Satisfaction Rankings
By Ayo Kehinde Abia State has emerged as Nigeria's highest-rated state for citizen satisfaction and one of the...
Freedom of Information Act and The Limits of Press Freedom, By Mack Ogbamosa
Introduction A free, independent, and vibrant press is one of the strongest pillars of any democratic society. It is against this background that most democratic countries make constitutional provisions for a free press . Others even go further to enact specific laws to make affairs of governments freely available to the public. Currently, there are more than 130 countries in the world that have free press laws. They include Sweden, United States, France, South Africa and Nigeria. Nigeria did not only make constitutional provisions in Sections 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) but also went ahead to enact the Freedom of Information Act in 2011. Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution states: “ “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter( ie Chapter II) and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people” Section 39(1) of same Constitution states : “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference” .. To complement these constitutional provisions, Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.” while Section 2(2), states that: “A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a manner that facilitates public access to such information” Primary Purpose of FOIA According to the Act, its primary purpose is to make information about public records freely available to every Nigerian in the public interest. Relevance To Journalists And Press Freedom Although, the law is for every citizen to access public information, it is most relevant to journalists and whistleblowers. Given the fact that the Act has been in existence for 15 years, how far has it impacted on the scope of press freedom in Nigeria?....
Tinubu Directs EFFC to Vacate Court Order Freezing Osun Account
It has come to my notice that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained a court...
PSC Reshuffles Police Leadership, Deploys Eight Commissioners to State Commands
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved a major reshuffle of senior officers of...
Adeleke Dares EFCC, Rejects N11bn Fraud Allegation
By Ayo Kehinde Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate, Senator...
Court Ousts APC Candidate Adeleye, Declares Arobo Authentic Flagbearer For Ondo Reps Seat
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday nullified the nomination of Timehin Adeleye as the All...
EFCC Defends Freezing of Osun Salary Account
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has defended it decision to freeze the...
Tinubu Welcomes Rescue of 308 Abducted Citizens in Kwara, Niger States, Call for Stronger Early Warning Systems
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu warmly welcomes the successful rescue of 308 Nigerian citizens who were...