In a statement issued on Friday by CODWA’s Executive Director, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, the group expressed shock that the state government and the Kwara State House of Assembly are now pushing a version of the FOI Act that it claims undermines the spirit of transparency.

The Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) has criticised the Kwara State government, led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for what it describes as a deceptive attempt to domesticate the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 after six years of resistance.

In a statement issued on Friday by CODWA’s Executive Director, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, the group expressed shock that the state government and the Kwara State House of Assembly are now pushing a version of the FOI Act that it claims undermines the spirit of transparency.

Otitolaye said the AbdulRazaq government appears to be toeing the fox's path, presenting deceitful gestures of wanting to domesticate the FOI Act after rejecting it for six years.

Despite the FOI Act becoming law on May 28, 2011, after passage by the National Assembly and assent by then-President Goodluck Jonathan, the Kwara State government and House of Assembly have refused to domesticate it.

The government has repeatedly denied FOI requests, arguing that the Act does not apply to the state.

CODWA’s statement follows a recent Supreme Court ruling affirming that the FOI Act is binding on all tiers of government.

In response, the Kwara State House of Assembly is now attempting to introduce what CODWA described as an “obnoxious” version of the Act—one that grants the governor the sole discretion over whether information is released.

The statement read, "Section 31 of the Proposed Bill states: ‘Notwithstanding any provision of this Law, no information shall be made available to any applicant without the prior consent of the Governor in writing.

"Section 31(2) also newly introduced by the Governor further states that ‘No one acting pursuant to this Law shall be liable in any way if non-compliance with the sections in the Law is due to delay in the Governor granting his consent.’"

According to Otitolaye, the state house of assembly is only trying to be cunny.

The group said, "This is inimical to the Rule of Law, freedom of expression, the rights to information and human dignity.

"The pronouncement of the Supreme Court that the FOI Act is binding on all tiers of government has made it a precedent over any other FOI guidelines enacted by any state government.”

"Hence, the attempt to take the fox's path in Kwara is an exercise in brinkmanship, deceitful, a waste of commonwealth; an inglorious intent to lay siege on the democratic space," the group added.

Otitolaye noted that it's alien to democratic principles and practices.

It said, "It's only reminiscing the dictatorial hegemonies of the military era in Nigeria. We are not in a Banana Republic.”

CODWA urged the state government to end its broad assault on freedom of expression and information, describing it as a futile pursuit of an illusory goal.