The Federal Government has stated that “internet journalism” is a major challenge to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said this at the State House in Abuja on Friday while receiving a delegation of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies comprising the African Union Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Mrs Pancy Tlakula.
Osinbajo said people must be taught how to make the Freedom of Information Act more practically useful, stressing that “some of the challenges are illiteracy and the issue of reasonable internet journalism”.
He, however, noted that the internet age had enhanced the free flow of information, saying “internet technology helps in terms of access to information. In fact, what we thought years ago was impossible is now made dramatically possible. Whoever tries to hide information now has very little hiding place as internet provides immediate access to information which greatly helps us”.
The vice president also told his visitors that the Federal Government was coming up with “how to educate the 10 million out-of-school children and deal with the issue of adult literacy as well”.
Earlier, Tlakula had affirmed that Nigeria had gone a long way in making the freedom of information a reality for the citizenry.
She, however, stated that the country still needed to “step up” the implementation of Freedom of Information Act in order to make it benefit the ordinary people.
