Unlocking the Power of Information: SAC OAU Empowers Students on FOI Rights

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By Adetunji Oluwafemi 
The SERAP Accountability Club, Obafemi Awolowo University Chapter (SAC OAU), earlier today held a student-based lecture directed towards student activists and journalists at the Law Lecture Theatre 2 (LLT 2), with the theme centred on the "Freedom of Information" (FOI). The aim was to sensitise participants to their rightful access to public information and how best to maximise such information. 

The event featured an interactive session with the invited speaker, who is also the Legal Advisor of SERAP, Barrister Oluwakemi Oni, a comprehensive panel discussion and a poetry rendition by Miracle Oyedokun.


During the interactive session, the speaker, Barrister Oluwakemi, the Legal Advisor of SERAP, who joined the event online, centred her presentation on the topic "Your Right to Information to Demand Transparency, Promote Accountability and Fight Against Corruption". She focused on the public's right to access information held by the government, emphasising that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, enforced on 28th May 2011, was enacted to promote a democratic culture, practice, and transparency in government institutions. According to her, the FOI Act affords everyone the right to elicit information from the government, as stated in Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

She further explained, citing instances of why the government is the main target of the FOI Act, the reasons for the FOI Act, the practical ways of requesting information under the FOI Act, the expected timeframe for information requests, the types of records one can request from the government, the associated charges, and what to do if access to information is denied, among other impactful discussions. Notable questions were raised and duly addressed during the question-and-answer session.

The panel session, moderated by Olalekan Nifemi and Oyedero Temilolaoluwa, focused on the use of the FOI Act, even for undergraduate students. The panelists, Mr Joshua Oyebode, an activist and recent graduate from the Faculty of Law at OAU, and Mr Boluwatife Akinyemi, a journalist and reporter at the Nigeria Tribune, engaged in a discussion on how the FOI Act can be implemented by student activists and student journalists. The panelists provided comprehensive and valuable responses, offering insights into practical ways to incorporate the FOI Act into their activities without hampering their academics, safety, and general well-being.

Towards the end of the event, Miracle Oyedokun, a student from the Faculty of Law, took to the podium to present her spoken word poetry titled "Voices of Ink - Lyrics of Echoes," which created a lively atmosphere. Following this, a group photograph was taken after the event concluded, accompanied by closing remarks from Yusuf Oluwarotimi.

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