By Bavoriat Clara
Stakeholders have demanded urgent reforms to eliminate secrecy and contradictions in Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and the Official Secrets Act, stressing that these inconsistencies continue to obstruct accountability and transparency in the defence and security sector.
The call was made in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day stakeholders’ dialogue held in Enugu from August 20 to 21, 2025.
The event was organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) in collaboration with the Transparency International Defence and Security Programme, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands under the project “Protecting Human Security by Tackling the Vicious Cycle of Corruption.
”The workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of civil society to engage constructively on procurement, financial management, operations, and gender-related activities in the security sector, while also reviewing the contradictions in Nigeria’s legal frameworks that govern access to defence information.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of CISLAC/TI-Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), called for stronger legal and institutional reforms to align the defence and security sector with democratic principles of accountability.
Presentations delivered during the dialogue addressed topics including “Navigating contradictory legal provisions for enhanced transparency and accountability in the Defence and Security sector,” “Information disclosure and accountability in the Defence and Security sector,” and experiences on the implementation of the FOI Act.
Participants included representatives of security agencies, civilian oversight bodies, civil society organisations, youth groups, and the media.
In its communiqué, the forum observed that a culture of secrecy and self-serving interests in security institutions frustrates public access to information and external oversight.
It noted weak working relationships between civil society and security agencies, outdated and contradictory laws, poor public understanding of constitutional and international rights, over-classification of documents, bureaucratic bottlenecks in procurement and personnel management, as well as limited awareness of global standards as major obstacles to disclosure.
The meeting recommended the strengthening of internal accountability mechanisms such as Defence Information Departments, Human Rights Desks, and the Police Complaints Response Unit.
It also called for the immediate review and harmonisation of the FOI Act, Public Procurement Act, and Official Secrets Act; narrowing information applications to elicit targeted and timely responses from security agencies; and the adoption of clear policy guidelines distinguishing classified from non-classified information in procurement, financial, and operational matters, aligned with global best practices.
Participants further advised leveraging courts and pro bono legal services to enforce compliance with information laws, improving external oversight through citizen engagement and stronger constitutional frameworks, and ensuring proactive release of internally generated data by security agencies.
Other recommendations include building trust-based civil-military relations to enhance information sharing, strengthening civil society coalitions such as regional steering committees to coordinate approaches in information application, and creating a centralised online portal for proactive disclosure of defence and security information.
The communiqué also urged the empowerment of the Office of the Auditor-General to review and publish reports on security finances, procurement, and personnel matters, regular engagements between civil society and security agencies to improve cooperation, and sustained capacity building and advocacy to create a well-informed citizenry.
It further called for promoting community-level dialogues on public rights to information and national security, and guaranteeing data protection for applicants to encourage public participation.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Executive Director, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria; Chineye Godwin, ICYE Enugu; and Alex Chinaemere, Civil Society Steering Committee.
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