The freedom of information foi act signed into law on may 28, 2011 is an act that gives every nigerian a legal right of access to information, records, and documents held by government bodies and private. Primacy is granted to the provisions of the freedom of information act in instances of conflict with other laws. Regulation of mergers in nigeria afoke igwe, bayo onamade i. See david oluranti, data and privacy laws in nigeria, nigerian law today, 2017, available at. Acquirer acquirer acquirer scenario identity acquirer target new identity. This act may be cited as the bills of exchange act. The freedom of information foi act signed into law on may 28, 2011 is an act that gives every nigerian a legal right of access to information, records, and documents held by government bodies and private bodies carrying out public functions. The objective of the bill is to establish a body the commission responsible for the supervision, coordination and monitoring of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations in nigeria, with the aim of enabling them accomplish their. International foi laws national freedom of information. Historically, the freedom of information bill in nigeria could be traced back to 1993 during the regime of general sani abacha in which transparent government was not the order of the day. It also mandates organizations to preserve its information in such manner that will enhance access to it.
Prospects and challenges preye kuro inokoba department of political science niger delta university, p. After a decade of consistent and fearless advocacy by civil society and media practitioners, the newly elected president of. If the merger is approved by the sec, the parties can apply to the court nigerias federal high court for the merger to be sanctioned after which, the merger will become binding on the companies in question. This paper examines the freedom of information act in nigeria with a view to pointing out its strength and the challenges for its effective implementation.
In recent years, with media megamergers, some say the press has fallen back. Post merger and acquisition and performance of deposit money banks in nigeria imeokparia, lawrence ph. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in nigeria. A bill was passed by both chambers in the first quarter of 2007, but was vetoed by president olusegun obasanjo. The presidents signature may 28 came 11 years after a foi bill was first submitted to nigerias 4th national assembly in 1999. Umoren department of accounting and taxation, college of business and social sciences, covenant university, ota, ogun state. Apr, 2018 freedom of information act applicable to all state in nigeria, appeal court rules nigerian states have no powers to reject requests filed under the freedom of information act foi, the court of. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute.
Index termsfreedom, information, records, office security management. The government of the united kingdom has theorised it as being an extension of freedom of speech, and a fundamental human right. Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Umoren and olokoyo 2007 studied merger and acquisition in nigeria. The merger and related issues report of the special. Utilising the doing business report 2016 and a collaborative survey conducted by the small and medium enterprises. The question still is how free is the freedom of information act 2011 and what are its.
Greater challenges and business opportunities will come in 2004. Introduction the long awaited freedom of information bill has gained approval by the national assembly and assented by mr. An overview of the freedom of information act an appraisal from a. Ajimobi disowns freedom of information foi act in oyo state a lawyers explanation of the freedom of information act 2011 1 2 reply go down the freedom of information foi act 2011. Merger oa merger is the combination of two or more separate firms into a single firm xthe firm so formed can take any of the new identities. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria arrangement of sections 1. Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication for records and office security management ayuba a. Nigerian treasury bills debt management office nigeria.
Nigeria witnessed an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions in its banking sector in the post1995 and 2009 periods as a result of regulatory mandates issued by the central bank of nigeria, aimed at strengthening the capital base of nigerian banks. Freedom of information or information freedom also refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regard to the internet and information technology. Extension of time limit for granting or refusing application 7. The freedom of information act 2011 foi what it means.
Nigeria freedom of information act 2011 and its implication. The signing of the bill into law raises nigerias integrity in the comity of nations. 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. I have just concluded reading the popular book, straight from the gut by jack welch. Freedom, information, law, progress, implementation, challenges, nigeria introduction information is the stimulus of all the thoughts and actions of living creatures. Freedom of information act applicable to all state in nigeria. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records and. The foia in nigeria has been greeted by many proponents of the law as a step in the right direction. So far, only few states in nigeria have adopted the freedom of information act at state level. Freedom of information bill 2012 article 19 free word centre, 60 farringdon rd, london ec1r 3ga. Jun 03, 2011 nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria wipo.
Analysis of performance pre and post consolidation of thirteen mega banks in order to consider if there had been improvements. The first newspaper in nigeria was established in 1859 and was. The focus of this paper is to xray the nigerian freedom of information bill, its relevance and challenges in the scheme of national development. Analysis of performance preandpost consolidation by a. Meanwhile, notable nigerians and groups have applauded the president for signing the bill into law. Nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. Nigerias economy and the need to amend, repeal or create legislation that would significantly improve the business environment in nigeria. Folake eliasadebowale is a corporate partner and head of the firms private equity and oil and gas teams.
Ati legislation in africa, nigerias freedom of information act foia of. The offices of the information and privacy commissioners. Analysis of nigeria freedom of information act on records. The nigerian freedom of information foi act and the right to. With the coming into force of the act, every person now has a legal right of. The act affords everyone regardless of tribe, age, creed, a right of access to information or records held by public institutions and relevant private entities, irrespective of the form in which such information or records are kept. In order to strengthen the competitive and operational capabilities of banks in nigeria with a view towards returning global and public confidence to the nigerian banking sector and the economy in general, the central bank of nigeria instituted a banking reform in 2004, which saw most of the then existing 89 banks merging with each other. Information, in its various forms is the prerequisite for the functioning of modern society because success in every. Malgwi2, bulama kagu3 and ibrahim danjuma4 1 department of business management, university of maiduguri nigeria 2 bursary department, university of maiduguri, 3department of education, university of maiduguri, 4faculty of management and human resource. The bill was presented initially in 1999 when the return to democratic governance heightened the expectation that there will be increased disposition towards freer. It prevents the government and individuals from preventing a person from receiving information and ideas that are available to the public9. Freedom of information act and democratic consolidation in. In most cases, these laws, policies, regulations and practices tend to stifle or. This presidential gesture received widespread commendation by many nigerians.
It was not surprising, therefore, that when nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, one of the first moves by civil society was to lobby for a law that would enable nigerians to demand information about government and public institutions and would protect government officials. Nigeria foi was enacted in 2011, foi is an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences of disclosing certain kinds of official. D, fca department of financial studies college of management science redeemers university km 46 48 lagos ibadan express way redemption city, mowa ogun state, nigeria. Although merged with a media law, the ethiopian law contains significant. Select multiple pdf files and merge them in seconds. Summary of kazakhstans constitutional guarntees of freedom of information extracted from the constitution. Challenges that are confronting the implementation of the act are. Under nigerias freedom of information law, the government must. This study examines the impacts of merger on deposit money banks performance in nigeria between 2000 and 2009. Okonkwo at by central bank of nigeria and west african institute for financial and economic management waifem september 17 19, 2004.
Nigerian president signs freedom of information bill. Edetaen ojo, head media rights agenda mra, a young organization for the defense of free expression rights, civil liberties organization clo, and the. Nigeria is the second country in the region, along with liberia, to adopt a comprehensive right to information law, while a number of other countries including ghana, sierra leone and senegal are currently considering legislation. Malawi, montenegro, mozambique, namibia, nepal, nicaragua, nigeria, papua. Even before the passage and subsequent signing of the freedom of information bill into law. This paper examines the freedom of information act foia with a view to. The paper revealed the genesis of freedom of information foi bill in nigeria and the organizations instrumental to its enactment. Review of relevant information on nigerias democracyfactsheet july, 2017 objective of the bill. The freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago. The nigerian freedom of information bill was along awaited bill which was finally signed into law. Nigerian journalists on may 3, 2014 joined their counterparts worldwide to celebrate the world press freedom day, a date set aside by the united nations general assembly in 1993, to apart from inform the general public on events and issues that affect them but to also let the people know that the media is a significant force in modernday culture and politics. Mergers and acquisitions and banks performance in nigeria.
Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i. Freedom of information bill frequently asked questions subject to the provisions of this act but notwithstanding anything contained in any other act, law or regulation, every citizen of the federal. Evaluative study of the freedom of information act on. The period was characterized by financial deregulation, the global economic crisis, and bank restructuring programs. Freedom of information act a ray of hope for democracy. The government needs to combine public health measures with efforts to. Freedom of information bill frequently asked questions subject to the provisions of this act but notwithstanding anything contained in any other act, law or regulation, every citizen of the federal republic of nigeria, has a legally enforceable right to, and shall, on application be given access to any record under the control of a.
Nigerias constitution and press freedom the tide news. The campaign for the adoption of a freedom of information law in nigeria is now in. An act to codify the law relating to bills of exchange, cheques and promissory notes. The right to privacy in nigeria privacy international. N 4 nnamdi azikiwe library university of nigeria nsukka. Freedom of information act, journalism, jalingo, taraba state, government.
At last, jonathan signs foi bill into law vanguard news. Post merger and acquisition and performance of deposit. Nigeriaworld feature article freedom of information bill. Dogora, yakubu 2010, a bill for an act to provide for personal data protection to regulate the processing of information n relating to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use or. Jun 09, 2014 nigerian journalists on may 3, 2014 joined their counterparts worldwide to celebrate the world press freedom day, a date set aside by the united nations general assembly in 1993, to apart from inform the general public on events and issues that affect them but to also let the people know that the media is a. It is related to freedom of expression, which can apply to any medium, be it oral, writing, print, electronic, or through art forms. Legal framework for mergers and acquisitions presented by prof.
Evaluative study of the freedom of information act on journalism practice in nigeria oberiri destiny apuke department of mass communication, taraba state university, p. Freedom of information bill passed by the national assembly, one of his major excuses was that it would undermine nigerias national security, especially in the light of the fact that a decision by the head of a public institution to deny access to information would be subject to. Freedom of information is a necessity in order to salvage the nation nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. The bill is to ensure free flow of information and to protect public officers for giving out information in their possession. In 2011, niger adopted comprehensive regulation on access to information.
Article 19 welcomes the adoption of the freedom of information act in nigeria in may 2011. In a country where freedom of information act is in operation. Introduction in nigeria, mergers by private or public companies are principally regulated under the investments and securities act 2007 the isa and the rules and regulations made pursuant to the isa the sec rules. Freedom of information bill in nigeria for over eight years, the protagonists of the freedom of information bill have been toiling to get it passed at the national assembly. The court may by the order sanctioning the merger or subsequent order make provision for any or all. Governmental organs, social associations, officials, and mass media are obligated to provide every citizen with the opportunity to become acquainted with documents, decisions, and sources of information affecting her or his rights and interests. For over eight years, the protagonists of the freedom of information bill have been toiling to get it passed at the national assembly. How to make a freedom of information request in nigeria.
521 261 810 76 531 1476 1476 1015 896 1343 445 104 1036 1057 1557 863 652 1082 406 1090 246 258 120 1024 955 1155 397 209 771 670 1227 747 948 952 1367 207