After having been on the Order Paper of both Chambers of the National Assembly through three Parliamentary Sessions and over 11 years, the Freedom of Information Bill once again stands on the verge of being passed by the current Parliament.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the Freedom of Information Bill on February 24, 2011 while the Senate passed it on March 16, 2011. However, there are material differences in the versions of the Bill that were passed. Towards resolving the variance, a Conference Committee was constituted, in order to produce a harmonized version of the Bill to be adopted by both chambers of the National Assembly.

The goal is to ensure that the Bill will be passed and assented to by President Jonathan before the current Parliament is dissolved at the end of May 2011. Some of the differences between the versions of the Freedom of Information Bill are quite significant and could have far-reaching implications for the efficacy of the rights guaranteed under and the fulfillment of the obligations created by the Bill.

Therefore, a proposition of Recommendations on the Freedom on Information Bill 2011 has been made, which addresses the most significant differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate versions of the Bill in order to produce a harmonized Bill that meets the minimum standards of globally accepted best practice requirements for a Freedom of Information Legislation. CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECOMMENDATIONS

The following Senators were appointed as members to the Conference Committee on March 16, 2011, before the National Assembly went on recess: Sen. Ayogu Eze; Sen. Egba Victor Ndoma (SAN); Sen. Anthony Manzo George; Sen. Otaro Ohize; Sen. Adekunle Adedibu; and Sen. Talba Adamu Garba. Following the resumption of the National Assembly from its recess, the House of Representatives is expected to promptly follow suit and appoint members to the Conference Committee on the Freedom of Information Bill.