The Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), through its Executive Director, Mrs. Faith Nwadishi, has said Nigerians can use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to demand accountability from government institutions.
She was joined at the closing session of the Strengthening Accountability and Governance in Nigeria Initiative (SAGNI) by Edo State Attorney-General Samson Osagie and Anambra Attorney-General Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje, who was represented by Solicitor-General Ngozi Iwouno.
Nwadishi explained that the FOIA provides citizens, civil society organisations, and the media with a powerful tool to fight corruption and promote transparency.
She added that the SAGNI project had shown how public awareness, training, and outreach could strengthen institutions and ensure that leaders remain accountable to the people.
The statement was made on Thursday during the final session of the SAGNI project, which was launched in October 2024 and ran for one year.
She also highlighted the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling as a landmark that clarified the Act’s jurisdiction and strengthened its enforcement at the state level.
The event was held in Abuja, with the project also implemented in the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, and Anambra states.
According to her, CTA carried out multilingual media campaigns, theatre productions, radio programmes, and distributed simplified FOI handbooks, while also training journalists, women’s groups, civil society organisations, and persons with disabilities.
She noted that both Edo and Anambra governments had pledged to institutionalise FOIA compliance, supported by the European Union-funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme through International IDEA.