The organisations said they had collaboratively
made an FOI request, dated March 17, 2015, to
the clerk of the National Assembly requesting
the detailed breakdown of NASS budget of
N150bn for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; a​s​ well
as the performance report for National Assembly
budget of N150bn for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“This request was made following the long-
standing secrecy around the budget of the
National Assembly, the organisations said.

“From 1999 to date, an estimated budgetary
provision of N1.26 trillion has been made to the
National Assembly, with Nigerians kept in the
dark on what or how this huge sum was spent.

“On the 27th of April, a response letter, dated
23rd of March, 2015 was received from the
Legal Services Department of the NASS, refusing
this request, on the basis that:

“Some of the information in the National
Assembly Budget for 2011-2014 is “personal,
third party related and privileged and are all
exempted under Sections 14 and 15 of the
Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and that the
other information you requested for are
published and available in public libraries and
cannot be applied for by virtue of Section 26 of
the Freedom of Information act, 2011”
Section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act
2011 exempts personal information including
“files and personal information maintained with
respect to clients, students, patients, residents,
students or individuals receiving social, medical,
educational, vocational, financial, supervisory or
custodial care or services directly or indirectly
from public institutions, personnel files and
personal information maintained with respect to
employees, appointees or elected officials of any
public institution or applicant for such positions,
files and personal information maintained with
respect to any applicant, registrant or licensee
by any government or public institution
cooperating with or engaged in professional or
occupational registration, licensure or discipline;
information required of any taxpayer in
connection with the assessment or collection of
any tax unless disclosure is otherwise requested
by the statute; and information revealing the
identity of persons who file complaints with or
provide information to administrative,
investigative, law enforcement or penal agencies
on the commission of any crime.​”​

The civil society organisations said it is difficult
to imagine that a publicly funded budget falls
within the category of information that the...


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