The importance of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) as a veritable tool for journalists to unearth vital information has been emphasized.
Media experts who trained journalists at a two-day workshop tagged “Using the Freedom of Information Act ( FOI) for Investigative Reports on Campaign Finance and COVID-19 Accountability Issues”, organized by the International Press Centre (IPC) in partnership with European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, urged journalists to make use of the FOI Act in their investigative reporting.
Executive director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the goal of the workshop was to sensitize journalists towards improving the accountability of governments across all levels, to the people through the use of the FOI Act.
He noted that it has become imperative for journalists to understand the importance of usage of the FOI Act to build capacity of journalists/media agencies.
“It is in the above context that the programme for this workshop has been designed to examine some dimensions to the issue at stake including the role of the media in ensuring good governance, the understanding of the frameworks and issues in campaign finance and the best practices in investigating political and campaign finance issues,” he pointed out.
Arogundade also said the workshop was designed to equip journalists with the required skills in highlighting issues of democratic accountability in order to check impunity in the electoral process and ensure that elected politicians are made to account for their campaign promises.
Executive director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Edetaen Ojo, in his presentation, explained the rudiments of the FOI Act and the need for journalists to apply the act in sourcing and reporting stories as well as highlighting issues bordering on transparency and accountability in governance.
“I urge you to sharpen your investigative reporting skills and build the confidence and ability of those of you for whom the Freedom of Information Act is still new, to use it as a tool for facilitating transparent, free, fair and credible elections as well as monitoring how funds received and allocated for the COVID-19 response are being managed and utilized,” he said.
He stated that transparency and accountability are imperative for the effectiveness of the measures taken by Governments at Federal and State levels to curtail the spread of the disease and to mitigate the negative economic impact on citizens brought about by both the virus itself and the government’s measures to check its spread.
Executive Director of OJA Development Consult, Mr. Jide Ojo, in his presentation titled, “Understanding and Reporting Campaign Finance and Political Expenditure Frameworks and Issues”, highlighted the various laws governing electoral campaign financing and the importance of Journalists seeking and researching knowledge on campaign finance to enable them report factually and accurately.
He explained that there are a lot of issues to contend with on campaign finance and political expenditure which include: non-compliance with campaign finance regulations by political parties, lack of proper enforcement by INEC to mention a few.
He also mentioned gross abuse of state administrative resources by chief executives.
Mr. Dayo Ayeitan, Executive Director of International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), stressed further that the act is a tool for investigative reporting.
He said that journalists must study the FoI Act to know how to use it for investigative reporting.
Tobore Ovuorie, a renowned Freelance Investigative Journalist stressed that journalists can utilise the FOI Act to enhance their investigative skills and come out with balanced reports that will reflect the views of all sides.