AN ASSESSMENT OF WORKABILITY OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) IN JOURNALISM PROFESSION IN NIGERIA

AN ASSESSMENT OF WORKABILITY OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) IN JOURNALISM PROFESSION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This work set out to study the workability of freedom of information Act (FOIA) in Journalism profession in Nigeria. In  2011, the bill FOIA was assented to by the president of the federal republic of Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan after eleven years of foot dragging in the N/ Assembly, and the hope of every Nigeria was that the Act would a respite to the rigorous Suffering the Journalists have been subjected to in the course of  digging out facts and figures containing in both Government and private institutions to which such contents, they have be been denied access to on demand. A survey technique was used to obtain date from three hundred respondent respondents were chosen purposively to found out that the good intention of the FOIA has been dished or jettisoned due to the provisions of official secret Act in Nigeria which barrnigadle the access to Government documents by Journalist. The study recommend that the stakeholders being the legal luminaries, law makes in the states and national Assemblies and Journalists too should revisit the contents of the two acts of Nigeria parchment and assiduously response any parts that could man or muzzle Journalists from reporting the truth which is the only denfence  for any society such as ours.

TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENT                                                                                                                 Page
Title page        —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          i
Approval page —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          ii
Certification   —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          iii
Dedication        —        —          —          —          —          —          —          —          iv
Acknowledgement      —          —          —          —          —          —          —          v
Abstract          —         —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          vi
Table of Contents —         —                —          —          —          —          vii
List of Tables          —          —             —          —          —          viii

CHAPTER ONE:
1.1       introduction                —          —          —          —          —          —          —
1.2       Background to the problem    —          —          —          —          —
1.3       Statement of the problem       —          —          —          —          —
1.4       Objectives of the study           —          —          —          —          —          —
1.5       Research Questions     —          —          —          —          —          —
1.6       Significance of the Study       —          —          —          —          —          —
1.7       Delimitation of the Study       —          —          —          —          —          —
1.8       Limitation of the Study          —          —          —          —          —          —
1.9       Operation Definition of Terms           —          —          —          —          —

CHAPTER TWO: Review of Literature
2.1       Review of Concepts   —          —          —          —          —          —
2.1.1    Freedom of Information Act  —          —          —          —          —
2.1.2    Journalism profession  —          —          —          —          —          —
2.2       Journalism And the Society    —          —          —          —          —
2.3       Ethical Concepts of Journalism          —          —          —          —          —
2.4       Review of Study         —          —          —          —          —          —          —
2.5       Review of Opinion     —          —          —          —          —          —          —
2.6       theoretical Framework            —          —          —          —          —          —
CHAPTER THREE: Research Methodology        —          —                      
3.1       Research Method        —          —          —          —          —          —          —
3.2       Research Design         —          —          —          —          —          —          —
3.3       Population of the study          —          —          —          —          —          —
3.4       Sample Size and Sampling procedure —          —          —          —
3.5       Description of Instrument       —          —          —          —          —
3.6       Validity of Research Instrument        —          —          —          —          —
3.7       Reliability of Research Instrument     —          —          —          —
3.8       Method of Data Collection     —          —          —          —          —
3.9       Method of Data Analysis       —          —          —          —          —          —

CHAPTER FOUR    Date    Presentation, Analysis 
and Discussion of Findings

4.1       Introduction    —          —          —          —          —          —          —
4.2       Data Presentation and Analysis          —          —          —          —
4.3       Discussion of Findings

Chapter Five:                        Summary, Conclusion 
and Recommendation

5.1       Summary of Findings —          —          —          —          —          —
5.2       Finding            —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —
5.3       Conclusion      —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —
5.4       Recommendation        —          —          —          —          —          —          —
Work acted     —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —
Appendix

LIST OF TABLE
Table                                                                                                                           Page
Table1:            Responses on Whether the respondents know
about Journalism profession in Nigeria.

Table 2:           Respondent’s areareness of the passage of
Foia as an act of parchment in Nigeria.

Table 3:           Respondent’s Knowledge of the essence for
the passage of the FOIA in Nigeria.

Table 4:           distribution of responses on whether the
institution of Govt. adhere/ company to the
provision of FOIA in group timely access to
information to Journalists.

Table5:            the responses of respondent’s knowledge of
the official Secret Act in Nigeria.

Table 6:           the responses on whether FOIA repeals the
Official Secret  Acting.

Table 7:           responses on whether official Secret act raoe
a way for FOIA To succeed.
Table 8:           Responses on whether FOIA is a platform for
collection of sensitive facts to make balance
reporting.

Table 9:           Responses on whether respondents known
Journalists as watching  of the society.

Table10:          Responses on whether FOIA is a respite
to the surveillance Functions of Journalists.

Table11:          Responses on whether FOIA checks unethical
practices bordering on  either sentiments or
ethnic polarity among the men of pen profession.

Table12:          Responses on whether FOIA harmonizes
partnership between institutions and
Journalists in their collective services
to flush out societal ills.