Nigerian Journalists' Adoption Of Freedom Of Information (FoI) Act And Their Media's Performance

                ABSTRACT

      The importance of information to man cannot be under - estimated. It serves as the oxygen that breathes life into governance. But laws are hardly fascinating to man; it makes least leisure reading. Nigerian public office- holders have been taken advantage of ambiguous nature of law to deprive journalists and by implication, the citizenry of their rights to know what operates in our adminstrative rooms. Then came the Freedom Of Information Act 2011, after many hues and cries, to puncture this balloon of information secrecy and confidentiality.

   Journalists, whom the Act had been primarily meant for, seem reluctant to invoke the provisions of the Act in the course  of their profession, for the fear of both known and the unknown.

    This study examines, among others, the extent to which Nigerian Journalists adopted the Freedom Of Information (FoI) Act 2011 and the level of their media performance in the formative months of the Act and conclude that the expected relief from its recent passage may turn out to be a mirage, if concerted efforts are not geared towards its effectiveness.

TABLE OF CONTENTS            Pages

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgements iv

Table of Contents vi

List of Tables ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 4

1.3 Research Questions 8

1.4 Purpose of the Study 9

1.5 Delimitation of the Study 9

1.6 Significance of the Study 10

1.7 Limitations of the Study 101.8 Definition of Terms 11

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction 12

2.1 Theoretical Underpinnings 12

2.2 Understanding Freedom of Information 15

2.3 Contextualising Freedom of the press: Nigeria’s Perspective 20

2.4 Rationale for Freedom of Information Act in Nigeria 23

2.5 The roles of the media and journalists’ information seeking behavior 27

2.6 Review of related studies 29

Summary of conceptual and theoretical frameworks 33

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction 35

3.1 Research Designs 35

3.2 Study Population 36

3.3 Sampling Techniques 36

3.4 Sample Size 37

3.5 Study Period 37

3.6 Research Instruments 37

3.7 Method of Data Collection 39

3.8 Method of Data Analysis 39

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.0 Introduction 40

4.1 Descriptive Statistics of the Sampled Population 41

4.2 Description of the Texts Analysed 42

4.3 Interpretation and Analysis of Research Questions 42

4.3.1 Research Question One 42

4.3.2 Research Question Two 44

4.3.3 Research Question Three 47

4.3.4 Research Question Four 49

4.4 Discussion of Findings 55

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction 56

5.1 Summary 56

5.2  Conclusion 58

5.3 Recommendations 58

REFERENCES 60

APPENDICES 62