A Non-Governmental Organisation focused on freedom of expression, access to information and media development/persecutions, Media Rights Agenda has named the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) its latest recipient of the Freedom of Information Hall of Shame award.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, September 11, 2017 by Mosunmola Olanrewaju, MRA’s programme manager in charge of legal matters, she disclosed  that, “The NTA, being the national television network, considering its wide reach and its key function, which is to provide news and information as a public service in the interest of Nigeria, is expected to set the pace by complying with all the obligations imposed on it by the FOI Act. Unfortunately, the reverse appears to be the case as the organisation does no proactive disclosure as required by section 2(3), (4) and (5) of the FOI Act.”

The organisation noted that NTA’s failure to summit its annual report to the Attorney General of the Federation has made it impossible to determine the number of applications for access to information that it receives each year and the number of such applications that it processed and granted.

The Media Rights Agenda launched the FOI Hall of Shame on July 3, 2017, to draw attention to public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI act 2011, through their actions, inactions, utterance and decisions.

Previous recipients of the FOI Hall of Shame include NNPC, JAMB, The Presidency, Ministry of Information and Justice Doris Okuwobi of the Ikeja High Court.