NEITI Warns against Abuse of FOI Act, Says It Responded to 72 Requests

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has warned against the abuse of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act by individuals and faceless groups posing as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with no institutional credibility.

Speaking in Abuja at a roundtable commemorating 14 years of the FOI Act, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, described the trend as a dangerous weaponisation of a noble democratic law to blackmail, harass, and extort public officials and government institutions.

“Let there be no mistake: this is not activism—it is sabotage,” Orji declared in his keynote address. “These fake NGOs and touts’ parade false identities, file FOI requests under misleading pretences, and then engage in media blackmail and threats to extract money. They have no interest in facts or transparency. Their only mission is extortion. And it must stop,” he added.

Orji emphasised that the FOI Act, passed in 2011, is a landmark law in Nigeria’s democratic journey, protecting citizens’ right to know and empowering oversight over government, but warned that unless urgently safeguarded, the Act risks becoming a tool for intimidation and abuse rather than transparency and accountability.

“At NEITI, we have responded to 72 FOI requests in the last decade, operate a dedicated FOI portal, put in place a proactive disclosure platform on our website, published annual progress reports, convened regular media briefings, series of stakeholders’ forums, and submitted annual compliance reports.

“Our reports, Beneficial Ownership Register, procurement process and implementation information and data are all proactively disclosed and freely placed in the public domain. We are currently working to complete work on the NEITI Data Centre to add to wider public access to credible information.

“But these fake NGOs ignore these disclosures and instead resort to threats aimed at coercion and extortion,” he alleged.

Orji stressed the importance of distinguishing between genuine civil society oversight and fraudulent campaigns masked as activism. He urged law enforcement agencies, media regulators, and civil society platforms to join hands in weeding out impostors that threaten the integrity of Nigeria’s accountability ecosystem.

“The FOI Act is not a blackmail license. It is a promise of truth, openness, and democratic empowerment. We must protect that promise from abuse. NEITI will not be intimidated, and we will continue to expose and resist such unethical conduct,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, Executive Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Faith Nwadishi, reaffirmed that NEITI remains a model of proactive disclosure and institutional responsiveness.

“NEITI’s reports are vital instruments of transparency. They guide FOI implementation and provide facts that expose corruption and support accountability,” she stated.

In her remarks, civil society representative on the NEITI Board and National Coordinator of Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Dr. Erisa Danladi Sarki, called for stronger multi-stakeholder vigilance and sustained advocacy to protect the FOI Act.

“We must not allow faceless actors to erode public trust in FOI. Citizens deserve tools that empower, not harm them. The FOI Act must remain a shield for truth, not a sword for deception,” she argued.

In his remarks, Programme Manager of the RoLAC Programme funded by the European Union (EU), Mr. Emmanuel Uche, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democracy and rule of law through initiatives that strengthen access to information and transparency.