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An Appraisal Of Freedom Of Information Act In Nigeria
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Conversely, the stiff resistance by most world
leaders towards having the FOIA enshrined in their nation‟s law books
has continued to ignite concerns. Little wonder, Amadi (2003:5) argued
that:
“The issue of the enactment of an emphatic Freedom of
Information Act is still a pawn in the political chessboard of
politicians …the reason for sitting on such legislation may not be
farfetched from the fact that such venal politicians know that the
enactment of such powerful pro-media, pro-people legislation will
constitute an effective check on their venality. It will constitute an
effective check on their venality. It will constitute a check because
the effectuation of such legislation will mean removing the mystifying
veil of secrecy which gives governance a kind of larger-than-life
posture in such countries. And that is why politicians will continue to
balk at it.â€
The delay in the passage of Nigerians Freedom of
Information Act over a decade after its first proposal in 1999 might not
be unconnected to this apprehension amongst Nigeria politicians.
Furthermore,
if the media must discharge their duties in the spirit of fairness,
accuracy, balance and objectivity, then there should not be an
alternative to getting information from the primary sources (government
and their agencies) the absence of this is likely to lure the media into
“speculative reporting†or worse still rely upon secondary sources,
which may be misleading and biased.
It is therefore against these
backdrops that this research seeks to appraise the FOIA and how well it
rubs off on media practice in Nigeria. In essence, the work seeks to
ascertain among other things the extent to which the Act could
effectuate effective journalism practice in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The
recent enactment of the FOI law in Nigeria has been greeted by many
proponents of the law as a step in the right direction. Media
practitioners believe that the Freedom of Information, as a
communication phenomenon will play an essential role in placing Nigeria
on the right track of development. It will also increase the people‟s
participation in government programmes and policies as well as translate
to the enthronement of accountability and good governance. All that
said, the problem is the level of preparedness on the part of the core
agitators of the FOIA, being the journalists as it relates to their
maximizing the provisions of the Act towards effective journalism
practice.
While the FOIA promises a lot, its workability in a country
like Nigeria, where there is a penchant for violating laws with
impurity, tends to puncture its potentials directed towards effective
media practice.
Maximizing the potentials of the FOIA in Nigeria
depends on how well the media practitioners are acquainted with its
provisions. It appears that not many journalists are fully aware of the
provisions of the FOIA, thereby limiting their push for information in
the custody of government, as well as other public institutions.
Moreso,
whether the emergence of the FOIA signals an era of Freedom with or
without responsibility, media practice remains an issue of great
concern. Similarly, it is a problem that since media practitioners are
yet to be well acquainted with the provision of the Act, it becomes
difficult making the most of it. Moreso, the argument that the emergence
of the FOIA signals an era of freedom without responsibility as well as
its threat to national security, remains an issue great concern.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The purpose of this work was to do an evaluative study of the Freedom of Information Act and media practice in Nigeria. The survey research method was adopted. To this end, the researcher issued 220 copies of the questionnaire to randomly selected journalists, broadcasters, advertisers, editors and lecturers in Port Harcourt metropolis. Interviews were also conducted to guide the study development. Simple percentage and tables were used for data analysis. While the study used the development med ... Continue reading---
