The International Press Centre (IPC) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have called for entries from individuals and organizations in Nigeria for their National Freedom of Information (FOI) Awards.
The organizations also called for a National FOI Essay Competition for Mass Communications and journalism undergraduates of Nigerian universities as part of activities to commemorate the 10th year anniversary of the signing of the FOI Bill into Law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.
Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director IPC, and his MRA counterpart, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, made the call in a statement in Lagos.
According to the organizations, the FOI Awards are designed to recognize and reward individuals, organizations and public institutions that have made significant contributions towards the advancement of the right to information in Nigeria as well as in ensuring the effective implementation of the FOI Act, while the essay competition is aimed at encouraging mass communication and journalism undergraduates to examine the impact of the FOI Act in enhancing participatory democracy under the topic: “Deepening Democracy, the Impact of FOI Act 10 Years After.”
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The FOI Awards will be in four categories, namely:
· The Individual Category, which will honour an individual that has made the highest number of requests for information under the FOI Act to public institutions or private entities to which the Act applies, between May 29, 2015, and October 31, 2021;
· The Organizational Category, which will honour a news organization, any other type of organization, company, association, institution, group, or other types of corporate entity that has made the highest number of requests for information under the FOI Act to public institutions or private entities to which the Act applies, between May 29, 2015, and October 31, 2021;
· A Public Institution FOI Best Practice Recognition, which will be conferred on a public institution adjudged to be most responsive to requests for information from members of the public under the FOI Act and that has adopted innovative and access-friendly practices and procedures to ensure the public right of access to information in Nigeria;
· A Special Recognition, to be given to an individual adjudged to have made a substantial and lasting contribution towards advancing the right to information in Nigeria over the last 10 years.
Arogundade and Ojo noted that the winners of the awards and essay competition will be announced and honoured at an award ceremony, which will take place in Abuja on this year’s International Human Rights Day, scheduled to hold on Friday, 10 December 2021.
The awards and essay competition are organized with support from the European Union through component 4b: Support to Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Project.
