Gender group urges FOI Act reform for women's info access on IDUAI
Women's rights advocates called for gender-responsive access to information as the world marked International Day for Universal Access to Information on September 28. Abiola Afolabi-Akiode of WARDC stressed women need targeted info on sexual health, maternal health, GBV support, laws and justice mechanisms to claim their rights, speaking at an MRA-IPC event in Lagos.
She highlighted a critical implementation gap: Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Justice reported 90% of public institutions failed to meet FOI Act reporting obligations since enactment due to poor record-keeping, funding shortages, bureaucracy and delays beyond statutory response periods. Ayomide Eweje of MRA added that gender-responsive FOI isn't about extra rights but identifying barriers preventing equal access to existing rights.
Eweje urged civil society groups to move beyond awareness-raising to monitor how institutions respond to FOI requests. She outlined three key questions for gender-responsive implementation: Can different gender groups access information equitably? Does public information reflect diverse gender experiences? Do institutions store/share information in ways all groups can use? The goal is ensuring women aren't treated as a separate category but that systemic barriers to their existing FOI rights are removed.