Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has expressed grave concern over the "calculated starving" of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, in the 2026 Federal Government budge, reports ITREALMS.
A detailed review reveals that over 99 percent of public institutions have zero dedicated funding to fulfill their legal transparency obligations, effectively institutionalizing a culture of secrecy in governance.
While the Federal Government’s total budgeted expenditure for 2026 stands at a staggering ₦58.47 trillion, the total allocation for FOI implementation across the entire federation is a mere ₦191.1 million. This represents a negligible 0.00033 percent of the national budget, with only 13 out of over 1,300 public institutions making any specific budgetary provision for the Act.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, noted in a statement issued in Lagos that the FOI Act imposes clear legal obligations, including the proactive publication of information and the training of personnel. He argued that without adequate funding, these responsibilities cannot be meaningfully discharged, leading to the poor record-keeping and delayed responses that have eroded the public’s right to know over the years.
According to the organization, the failure to allocate funding is not an administrative oversight but a deliberate effort to foist a "reign of opacity" on Nigerians. Mr. Longe criticized the persistent neglect as a troubling lack of commitment to accountability, noting that even the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the primary oversight body mandated to monitor compliance—failed to make any budgetary allocation for its regulatory functions.
In its newly released report, titled “A Vote Against Transparency,” MRA indicates that the vast majority of MDAs have no plans to digitize records or designate FOI Desk Officers as required by law.
While the Federal Government’s total budgeted expenditure for 2026 stands at a staggering ₦58.47 trillion, the total allocation for FOI implementation across the entire federation is a mere ₦191.1 million. This represents a negligible 0.00033 percent of the national budget, with only 13 out of over 1,300 public institutions making any specific budgetary provision for the Act.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, noted in a statement issued in Lagos that the FOI Act imposes clear legal obligations, including the proactive publication of information and the training of personnel. He argued that without adequate funding, these responsibilities cannot be meaningfully discharged, leading to the poor record-keeping and delayed responses that have eroded the public’s right to know over the years.
According to the organization, the failure to allocate funding is not an administrative oversight but a deliberate effort to foist a "reign of opacity" on Nigerians. Mr. Longe criticized the persistent neglect as a troubling lack of commitment to accountability, noting that even the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the primary oversight body mandated to monitor compliance—failed to make any budgetary allocation for its regulatory functions.
In its newly released report, titled “A Vote Against Transparency,” MRA indicates that the vast majority of MDAs have no plans to digitize records or designate FOI Desk Officers as required by law.
By failing to fund the Act, the Federal Government is effectively emasculating the law and rendering it inoperative, as one cannot run an open government while simultaneously starving the very mechanism that enables citizens to engage with it.
MRA is now calling on the National Assembly to refuse to pass the budgets of public institutions unless they include specific line items for FOI implementation.
MRA is now calling on the National Assembly to refuse to pass the budgets of public institutions unless they include specific line items for FOI implementation.
The organization also urged the Attorney-General to coordinate with the Budget Office to ensure a minimum percentage of every institution’s overhead is dedicated to information management.
Furthermore, MRA canvassed for the establishment of a dedicated “FOI Act Oversight Fund” to ensure the AGF can finally fulfill his statutory monitoring duties.
Despite these challenges, MRA remains committed to promoting transparency and has provided a Budget Template and Implementation Guidelines within its report to assist institutions in meeting their legal requirements.
Despite these challenges, MRA remains committed to promoting transparency and has provided a Budget Template and Implementation Guidelines within its report to assist institutions in meeting their legal requirements.
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