FoI suits: Court orders councils to disclose budgets

On February 18, 2015, a Federal High Court in Asaba turned the tide against them. It issued an order of mandamus compelling two local government councils in Delta State – the Oshimili South and the Ika South Local Government Areas – to disclose to a Lagos-based non-governmental organization, Human Development Initiatives (HDI), the councils’ budgets […]

On February 18, 2015, a Federal High Court in Asaba turned the tide against them. It issued an order of mandamus compelling two local government councils in Delta State – the Oshimili South and the Ika South Local Government Areas – to disclose to a Lagos-based non-governmental organization, Human Development Initiatives (HDI), the councils’ budgets from 2012 to 2014 and the projects duly approved for implementation in 2013.
 Lagos based Media Rights Agenda reported that the court’s decision was the culmination of a nine-month long litigation by HDI following the refusal of the Local Government Councils to grant its request made under the Freedom of Information Act on February 24, 2014. Following three separate suits filed on May 15, 2014 by a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Andy Isioma Ogbolu, on behalf of HDI against Oshimili South, Ika South and Oshimili North Local Government Councils, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Isola granted HDI leave on May 21, 2014 to apply for:
 — A declaration that the failure and/or refusal by the Councils to disclose and make available to HDI the information sought in its letters of request dated February 24, 2014 amounts to a violation of HDI’s right of access to information as guaranteed by section 1(1) and section 4(a) of the Freedom of information Act, 2011.
–A declaration that the failure and/or refusal by the Councils to give HDI a written notice that access to all or part of the information requested would not be granted and stating reasons for the denial and the section of the Freedom of information Act upon which the Councils relied to deny HDI access to the information requested in its letters dated February 24, 2014 amounts to a flagrant violation of section 4(b), 7(1), (2) and (3) of Act and is therefore wrongful.
–An order of mandamus compelling the Councils to disclose and make available to HDI as requested in its letters of February 24, 2014 the Councils’ budgets for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014; documents detailing all projects duly approved for implementation in 2013; the locations of the projects; and the actual cost of each of the projects approved and/or implemented by the Councils in 2013.
At court proceedings, HDI’s lawyer argued that it was the duty of the courts and every person in the country to hold governments accountable, arguing that ordinary citizens would be discouraged from using the FoI Act to hold governments accountable if judicial processes were unduly prolonged. In a brief ruling, Justice Olatoregun-Isola granted all the prayers sought against Oshimili South and Ika South Local Government Councils.  This ruling will encourage citizens, particularly development workers, to demand relevant information from their Local Councils as they work with them to transform our common world.