Court Orders NPC To Provide Procurement Records To NEFGAD In FOI Case
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Population Commission (NPC) to release procurement records to the Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), in a Freedom of Information (FOI) case.
Justice H. J. Yilwa, in a judgement, held that the NPC’s refusal to grant NEFGAD access to the requested procurement documents amounted to a “flagrant breach” of the organisation’s right to information under Sections 1, 2, and 4 of the FOI Act, 2011.
The court further directed the NPC to immediately provide all procurement records sought in NEFGAD’s letter dated March 29, 2023.
These include documents relating to contracts awarded for the purchase of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and the development of an e-procurement portal—projects the group alleged were carried out in violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
NEFGAD had written to the NPC seeking to scrutinize the procurement process to determine whether it complied with laid-down procedures.
However, when the commission failed to respond, the group filed a legal action to compel disclosure.
Reacting to the verdict, NEFGAD’s lead counsel, Timilehin Odunwo, described the ruling as “a victory for transparency and good governance.”
He noted that the judgment sends a clear message that public institutions are not above accountability.
“The court has once again affirmed that public resources and procurement processes must not be shrouded in secrecy. Nigerians deserve to know how their funds are spent, especially on critical national assignments like the census,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the NPC has not issued any public statement regarding the judgment.
NEFGAD said the ruling would strengthen the efforts of civil society organisations in enforcing compliance with Nigeria’s FOI law, particularly in monitoring the integrity of large-scale government initiatives funded with public resources.
Court Orders NPC To Provide Procurement Records To NEFGAD In FOI Case is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
