The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has criticized the Federal Government for weakening the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act through consistent underfunding.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Taraba State and obtained by Daily Post, MRA revealed that only one percent of federal public institutions included allocations for FOI implementation in their 2025 budget proposals.
According to the group, just 13 out of over 1,300 federal public institutions made provisions for FOI-related activities, with a combined allocation of ₦230.83 million. This represents a mere 0.000464 percent of the Federal Government’s proposed ₦49.74 trillion budget for 2025.
Signed by Idowu Adewale, the organization’s Communications Officer, the statement included remarks from MRA Programme Officer John Gbadamosi, who criticized the government’s priorities. While he acknowledged the importance of infrastructure and capital projects, he argued that neglecting FOI implementation compromises transparency and accountability.
“Without adequate investment in the FOI Act, allocations for infrastructure and development projects could be misappropriated,” Gbadamosi said.
Expressing frustration over the government’s lack of commitment nearly 14 years after the FOI Act was enacted, Gbadamosi pointed out that no ministry, department, or agency has faced sanctions for noncompliance, even in cases where courts issued mandates.
“This neglect undermines Nigeria’s democratic processes and perpetuates secrecy and corruption,” he added.
MRA urged the government to adopt 12 recommendations outlined in its report, including allocating resources to the Federal Ministry of Justice for better oversight and compliance monitoring. The recommendations also stressed the need for tracking performance, addressing implementation bottlenecks, and promoting greater transparency across public institutions.
The MRA concluded by emphasizing that without adequate funding and enforcement of the FOI Act, efforts to ensure accountability in public spending and governance would remain futile.