Following last week’s passage of the Freedom of Information bill (FOI) in the House of Representatives, the senate may soon begin consideration of the bill for passage before the expiration of their term in May.
Ayogu Eze, Senate spokesman and chairman of senate committee on communication on whose desk the senate version of the bill is currently sleeping confirmed to NEXT on Monday that the senate will pass the bill like their counterparts in the lower house “soon”.
Mr Eze however, did not say when the senate intends to start the consideration of the bill which has passed second reading on its floor.
The FOI bill which was introduced in both chambers in 2007 was passed by members of the House of Representatives last week and renamed, the Right of Information Bill 2011. It was initially passed by the past Assembly but former President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to sign it into law before leaving office.
The bill primarily seeks to make public records and information more freely available and accessible. It provides a right of access to public information or record kept by governments or public institutions or private bodies carrying out public functions for Nigerians and non Nigerians in whatever form an applicant wants it, as long as it does not affect the preservation or presentation of the information.
The bill protects both the public records and information, and public officers who disclose information under the law. It compels public offices to keep accurate and up-to-date records of the activities and provides absolute access to public documents to applicants who do not need to demonstrate any specific interest in the information being applied for.
Following the passage of the bill at the House of Representatives, attention and pressure have been shifted to the Senate whose committee on information seems to be laid back on the bill. The House bill needs to be harmonised with the Senate’s version before it can be signed into law as a single document...
According Demeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the House, will send its version of the bill to the Senate, probably this week, for concurrence and harmonisation before it is forwarded to the president for assent.
If passed into law, the bill will establish a (new) right of any person to request information, “whether or not contained in any written form which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution.” Personal information and some classified information that might undermine the international integrity, security and (or) economic interest of Nigeria, and investigations by law enforcement agencies are exempted by the Act as passed by the House of Representatives.
Professionally privileged information such as legal practitioner-client, health worker-client, journalism confidentiality privileges and course or research materials are also exempted by the act.
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