Advocacy groups call for gender-sensitive access to public information
Women’s rights and transparency advocates in Lagos have urged Nigeria to make implementation of the Freedom of Information Act more responsive to gender-related barriers. They called for better records, wider awareness and accessible communication on issues including health, violence, justice and public services.
Advocacy groups have called for Nigeria’s access-to-information system to become more responsive to the different needs and barriers faced by women and girls. The appeal was made in Lagos at an event organised by the Media Rights Agenda and the International Press Centre to mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The event, themed “Freedom of Information in the Age of Disinformation: Why Transparency Matters More Than Ever”, brought together representatives of civil society and legal organisations.
The 2026 theme for the international day is “Upholding information integrity in the digital age: The role of access to information in addressing information disorder.” Abiola Afolabi-Akiode, founding executive director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, said women and girls needed targeted access to information to protect and claim their rights. She identified sexual and reproductive health, maternal mortality prevention, gender-based violence services, relevant laws, justice mechanisms and technology-facilitated violence as priority areas. She said civil society organisations should move beyond raising awareness of the Freedom of Information Act and monitor how public institutions respond to requests.
A representative said a 2023 report by the Federal Ministry of Justice indicated that up to 90% of public institutions had failed to meet statutory reporting obligations under the Act. Participants cited poor record-keeping, inadequate funding, bureaucracy, low awareness among officials and delays beyond the legal response period as barriers to effective implementation. Ayomide Eweje of the Media Rights Agenda said gender-responsive implementation did not mean giving women more rights than men.
Instead, it meant identifying factors that prevented people from exercising an existing right equally. She called for more awareness, the use of local languages, radio and other accessible media, stronger institutional support and integration of the Act into accountability initiatives. Lawyer Alimi Adamu said Nigerian courts remained central to enforcing the law because the country did not have information commissioners.
Participants also said access to reliable public information could help combat digital misinformation and support journalistic integrity.
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