Freedom Of Information Goes Through First Reading In The Senate
 

Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate, has undertaken the First Reading of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. The First Reading of the FOI Bill took place during the Senate’s plenary session on November 23, 2004. This followed the Third and final reading of the Bill and its approval and passage by the House of Representatives, the nation’s lower legislative chamber.

Senate Majority Leader, Senator Dalhatu Tafida, presented the FOI Bill, which was listed as number one in the order paper for the day, at the Senate’s Session on November 23, 2004.

At exactly 12.30 p.m. Senate President, Chief Adulphus Wabara called on the Senate Leader to present the matters listed for consideration for the day. Senator Tafida subsequently informed the assembly that first on the list was the Freedom of Information Bill. He described it as “a bill passed by the House of Representatives and forwarded to the Senate for possible concurrence”. He then sought the consent of the Senate to have the Clerk of the Senate present the bill. The Senate President subsequently called on the Clerk to present the bill.

The Clerk rose and read out the title of the bill. Following the Clerk’s reading of the title of the bill, the Senate President proclaimed: “Distinguished Senators, this bill is hereby adopted as passed for First Reading”. The entire event took less than three minutes to conclude and the body proceeded to consider other matters listed for consideration.
With the successful completion of the First Reading, the Bill is now due for the Second Reading.

The House of Representatives approved the Bill for passage on August 25, 2004 following its Third and final Reading on that date. The House approved the Bill for passage with minor amendments thus bringing to an end the campaign to get the House to pass it. The advocacy efforts at the House lasted five years.