LOGINaija Advocacy Visit to Federal Ministry of Justice: Driving FOI Implementation at the Local Level
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
As part of the ongoing strategic engagement phase following the close-out of the LOGINaija 1.0 Civic-Tech Pilot, the Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI) today paid an advocacy visit to the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.
The visit, led by Engr. Kenneth Eze (Lead Director, SOAI), was aimed at formalizing a strategic partnership with the Ministry to deepen the implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act at the grassroots level across Nigeria’s 774 LGAs.
Engagement Highlights
The SOAI delegation was warmly received by Mr. Garuba Godwin, Assistant Director, Freedom of Information Administration (FOIA) Unit, who represented the Honourable Minister of Justice. During the meeting, SOAI:
- Formally presented the LOGINaija 1.0 Close-Out Report, detailing activities, learnings, and results from the pilot implementation in Gwagwalada Area Council (FCT), Umuahia North LGA (Abia), and Ibadan South-West LGA (Oyo).
- Shared key data insights on FOI compliance, local governance challenges, and citizen demand for openness and transparency at the LGA level.
- Proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry to institutionalize collaboration on FOI training, reporting, and joint interventions at the sub-national level.
- Requested the inclusion of SOAI in all Ministry-led FOI and open governance engagements, especially those targeting local governments.
In response, Mr. Garuba Godwin commended the LOGINaija initiative as a timely civic-tech intervention that aligns with the Ministry’s renewed strategy to make the FOI Act more effective at the sub-national level. He affirmed the Ministry's readiness to collaborate and encouraged SOAI to submit a draft MoU for immediate consideration.
Looking Ahead
With this engagement, SOAI moves closer to unlocking critical national-level partnerships required to expand the LOGINaija framework across Nigeria’s LGAs. Discussions are underway to onboard the FOIA unit into the project’s next phase for localized FOI implementation and data-driven accountability mechanisms.
Photo Highlights
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