Freedom of Information (FOI)
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 was passed by the National Assembly on 24th May 2011 and assented by President Goodluck Jonathan on 28th May, 2011.
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act applies not only to public institutions but also to private organisations providing public services, performing public functions or utilising public funds.
The underlying philosophy of the FOI Act is that public servants are custodians of a public trust on behalf of a population who have a right to know what they do. The FOI Act promises to remove the aura of mystery and exclusion with which public servants cover operations of government and public institutions. It also seeks to change the manner in which public records and information are managed.
The FOI Act builds on the presumption of openness, by placing on those who keep public information away from the people, the onus of justifying why they have to do so.
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What is the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act?
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act gives a person, group, association or organisation the right to access information from Government Agencies, Parastatals, Federal Civil Service, Private and Public sector organisations providing public services, etc.
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Who can make a request under the FOI Act?
Any person, group, association, organization, etc. can make a request for information under the FOI Act. The request must be in writing with a clear description of the information being sought, and in compliance with specific institutional requirements.
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How is a request made under the FOI Act?
To get information under the FOI Act, a request must be made either electronically or by letter, describing the information sought for, and the preferred format of the response, in as much detail as possible.
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Who is responsible for responding to a request made to Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) under the FOI Act?
The Corporate & Strategic Communications (C&SC) Division of the NPA is responsible for responding to all requests made to NPA under the FOI Act.
Requests by email should be sent to the following email address;
Requests by letter should be sent to the following address;
The Managing Director,
Nigerian Ports Authority,
26-28 Marina,
Lagos, Nigeria
Attention: The General Manager, Corporate & Strategic Communications
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Time limit for which information requested must be provided:
Unless an exemption applies, the information, if it is held by the Commission, must be provided to the requester within 7 working days.
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Fees for making requests under the FOI Act:
A fee will be charged to recover the costs of document searches, duplication and, in commercial cases, reviews.
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Are all Records releasable under the FOI Act?
While the FOI Act gives a person, group, association or organization the right to request access to Federal records, some records are exempted from release. These documents include but are not limited to;
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- National security records which have been lawfully classified on national security grounds, and remain classified;
- Records which disclosure will constitute an unwarranted invasion of an individual’s personal privacy;
- Records compiled for law enforcement purposes;
- Records protected from release by statutes other than FOI Act.
Click on the link Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011, to read all the sections of the FOI Act 2011.