Public institutions must prioritise proactive disclosure to combat misinformation and disinformation, stakeholders demanded at a Lagos conference held recently.
The forum, organised by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC) to commemorate the 2026 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), warned that systemic secrecy and poor compliance with Nigeria’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, undermine public trust.
Speaking on the theme, “Freedom of Information in the Age of Disinformation: Why Transparency Matters More Than Ever,” IPC Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, stressed that fighting fake news requires more than citizen fact-checking. He emphasised that public institutions hold a constitutional duty to provide credible data and support democratic accountability.
Participants — including journalists, lawyers and civil society organisations (CSOs) — were alarmed that many government agencies routinely deny requests without legal basis, ignore proactive publishing guidelines and delay responses, rendering time-sensitive data useless. Attendees also highlighted institutional impunity and a significant gender gap, noting that access barriers for women and underserved groups remain largely ignored.
To resolve these bottlenecks, delegates resolved to launch coordinated legal actions against wrongful denials.
They also charged media houses and CSOs with building coalitions to leverage the FOI Act for investigative reporting and tracking state expenditure.
The conference issued targeted demands to rescue the transparency law.
The Attorney-General of the Federation must enforce oversight and issue strict punitive directives against non-compliant institutions.
The judiciary must grant expedited hearings and fast-track judgments in FOI lawsuits.
Public institutions must also establish dedicated FOI desks, digitalise record-keeping and publish open-format information, while the National Orientation Agency (NOA) must launch public campaigns to educate citizens on their right to information.
Delegates concluded that timely access to verifiable official information remains the ultimate cornerstone of good governance.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV