Human rights lawyer and public interest advocate, Festus Ogun, has revealed that his Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking details of beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N330 billion disbursement under the National Social Safety Net Programme (NSSNP) was denied.
According to Ogun, the response he received stated that the information could not be released due to data privacy concerns and data protection laws.
The FOI Act, enacted in 2011, grants citizens the right to access public records to promote accountability and transparency in governance.
In his letter of request, Ogun had argued that Nigerians deserved clarity on how funds reportedly distributed to 8.5 million citizens were allocated.
“Nigerians are deeply concerned about fiscal transparency in the alleged disbursement of at least one tranche of N25,000 to 8.1 million households. The details of the 8.1 million households that benefited from the total disbursed sum of N330,000,000,000 are shrouded in secrecy,” he wrote.
Ogun is known for his public interest activism. In 2021, he sued Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for blocking him on X (formerly Twitter). The governor later unblocked him after a meeting at Lagos House, Marina, following Ogun’s accusation of rights violations.
