In an effort to promote the domestication of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Connected Development (CODE) an organization dedicated to empowering marginalized communities, conducted a training session for over 20 journalists and civil society organization members in Calabar, Cross River State.
In her remarks, Archibong Bassey, Chairman, NUJ, Cross River council, noted that the training focused on utilizing the FOIA to enhance government accountability.
During his welcome address, Effanga Etim, CODE’s state support officer, explained that the one-day training aimed to help participants understand best practices for ensuring public officials are held accountable.
He emphasized that the state would benefit from the domestication of the FOIA, which has faced significant challenges at the state level since its national enactment in 2011.
Dr. Judex Okoro, Editor-in-Chief of Beagle News and a lecturer at the University of Calabar’s mass communication department, led the first session on leveraging the FOIA for media and advocacy purposes.
He encouraged participants, particularly those in radio broadcasting, to implement FOI alert programs to raise awareness, stressing that ongoing discussions about the FOIA could facilitate its state-level adoption.
The second session, conducted by Kingsley Eworo, Executive Director of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Network, focused on identifying key stakeholders necessary for the successful implementation of the FOIA.
To conclude the training, participants were organized into three groups to create an advocacy action template (Policy Brief) aimed at promoting the domestication of the FOIA in Cross River.