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From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Transparency and Accountability in Totality Initiative (TinT), the parent organisation of FollowTaxes and Shin Kun Sheda, has reiterated its call for the Kaduna State Government under Governor Nasir El-Rufai to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill into law before May 29, when another leadership will take over.
TinT launched a new project in 2022, in collaboration with Gatefield on the Strengthening Civil Society and Local Engagement project (SCALE), aimed at advocating for the domestication of FOI Act in the state.
Musa Sulaiman, FOI Project Officer of USAID-supported SCALE, provided an update on the progress made so far in the push for the domestication of FOI in the state. Sulaiman said the call for speedy passage of the bill was necessary as a catalyst for the effective functionality of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which the state subscribed to in 2018. The domestication of the act, according to Sulaiman, would promote openness, transparency, and accountability in government, and strengthen the democratic structure.
“The domestication of the FOI Act was part of the milestone of the OGP commitment to Access to Information in the First State Action Plan (SAP, 2018-2020), which was not achieved and not captured in the State Action Plan II,” Sulaiman said.
“Civil Society Groups, individuals, and Technical Working Groups (TWG) under the auspice of the Open Government Partnership are currently working to ensure the domestication of the Bill is captured in State Action Plan III.”
Sulaiman called on residents of the state, the state government, and members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHA) to fast-track the domestication of the bill to fulfill the components of the OGP.
The bill, if domesticated, will enhance access to public information, protect public records on grounds of public interest and personal privacy, and protect public officers who provide such information without authorisation.
