Akwa Ibom Named Among Suppressors of Transparency, Access to Information in Nigeria
By Ekemini Simon
Akwa Ibom State has been ranked among 16 states in Nigeria that suppress administrative transparency and access to information, according to the 2024 Open Index Report by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
The report launched last week in Abuja states that Akwa Ibom State is among other 15 States in Nigeria who are yet to domesticate the Freedom of Information Act or create similar mechanisms that serve to promote transparency and accountability in government.
The report lists the 16 States to include Akwa Ibom, Imo, Anambra, Edo, Osun, Ogun, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe.
The index which drew responses from over 1,100 professionals, including journalists, editors, newsroom managers, and civil society actors categorized the 16 States among States that do not proactively publish budgets, contracts, or policy documents.
The report said these States often ignore or delay Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and public information offices are under‑resourced or politicised.
“This lack of transparency limits citizens’ ability to engage meaningfully with governance, and it erodes trust”, the report stated.
The Open Index also examined seven diagnostic factors that together paint a comprehensive picture of openness which include legal protections, institutional guarantees, journalist safety, media diversity, internet freedom, civic engagement, and government transparency.
The report shows that Akwa Ibom State emerged 12th least open State in Nigeria with a percentage of 47.81, below the national average of 50.51 percent. States like Cross River, Ondo, Delta, Katsina, and Ekiti emerged as the five most open States in Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer of CJID, Dapo Olorunyomi, OON said the heart of the Index is about protecting the democratic values that allow people to speak, organize, and hold power to account.
“We believe data like this is informative and also catalytic as it provides the facts we need to challenge repression, defend press freedom, and open up civic space, ” he added.
Executive Director of CJID, Akintunde Babatunde emphasized the strategic intent behind the report: “For us, this is about redefining what openness truly means in a democracy.”
He said the index offers citizens and stakeholders a clearer picture of how safe or unsafe it is to exercise freedom of expression in each state and the FCT.
This ranking comes as civil society organisations in Akwa Ibom State have expressed concerns about the Umo Eno’s administration’s lack of transparency, particularly in public finance management. They noted that the State’s budget implementation reports have been reduced to a 3-page summary, omitting crucial details.