A Theoretical Framework for Information Governance in Nigerian Federal Ministries: Towards an Integrated Model

This study develops an integrated theoretical framework for information governance in Nigerian Federal Ministries, addressing the recognised absence of a contextually validated model that accounts for Nigeria's institutional, legal, and socio-cultural realities. Existing information governance frameworks, including the Gartner Information Governance Framework and the MIKE2.0 Methodology, were developed in Western institutional contexts and do not fully capture the dynamics of Nigerian federal bureaucracy, including overlapping authority structures, technology infrastructure disparities, and political interference in administrative processes. The study employs a grounded theory methodology, combining in-depth interviews with 42 purposively selected senior information management professionals, records managers, and policy makers in twelve federal ministries with documentary analysis of existing governance policies and audit reports from 2019 to 2024. Iterative coding and theoretical sampling continue until theoretical saturation is achieved. The resulting framework identifies eight interdependent governance domains specific to the Nigerian federal context and proposes a hierarchical governance architecture with accompanying implementation indicators. The framework is then subjected to expert validation through a Delphi panel of twenty information governance scholars and practitioners. This study makes an original theoretical contribution to the information governance literature by producing the first empirically grounded governance framework tailored to Nigeria's federal administrative context. Recommendations target the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the National Information Policy Committee. Keywords: information governance, theoretical framework, federal ministries, Nigeria, grounded theory