MRA Trains Journalists, CSOs on Strengthening Accountability Through FOI Act
By Temilade Aloko
The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has trained journalists and civil society representatives on the effective use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 as a tool for strengthening transparency, accountability, and investigative reporting in Nigeria.
The intensive two-day workshop took place on Wednesday, November 12, and Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily, at D & G Hotel & Suites, 50/52 Clem Road, Ijaiye (Salolo Bus-stop), Ojokoro, Lagos State. The training was supported by Luminate.
Declaring the workshop open, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, stressed that access to information remains essential for meaningful democratic participation. He noted that the FOI Act is a vital instrument that citizens and journalists must actively deploy to demand accountability from public institutions.
The workshop featured several technical and interactive sessions, including:
What is Freedom of Information and Why Is It Important?
Overview of the FOI Act 2011
Making Requests for Information Under the FOI Act
Enforcing Compliance with the FOI Act
Monitoring FOI Implementation & Compliance
Using the FOI Act for Investigative Journalism
Facilitators Ayomide Eweje and Ayode Longe guided participants through the practical steps for drafting effective FOI requests, understanding institutional obligations, and enforcing compliance where public bodies fail to respond.
For many participants, the training was refreshing, eye-opening, and deeply enriching. Journalists and CSO representatives described it as a timely opportunity to deepen their understanding of the FOI Act and a chance to connect, network, and collaborate with colleagues from diverse organizations and media houses. The interactive nature of the sessions also created a platform for peer learning and sharing real-life experiences on accountability work.
A major highlight was the break-out practical sessions, where participants drafted real FOI requests targeted at public institutions and reviewed actual FOI responses to develop news stories. Journalists were trained on using FOI documents to build fact-based, data-driven investigative reports, while civil society members explored strategies to mainstream FOI advocacy within their various communities.
The session on leveraging digital tools and platforms for filing FOI requests and conducting data analysis further exposed participants to modern techniques for enhancing accountability work.
The workshop ended with the adoption of a communiqué, evaluation exercises, a post-training test, and presentation of certificates to participants.
The FOI workshop is part of MRA’s ongoing initiative to strengthen open government, promote transparency, and equip Nigerian journalists and civil society actors with the skills to demand and obtain public information effectively.
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