Government Accountability and the Right to Information in Plateau State: Administrative Law Perspectives

This research examines government accountability mechanisms and the practical realization of the right to information in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, assessed through an administrative law and public management lens. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011 obligates public institutions to proactively disclose information and respond to citizen information requests, yet enforcement across Nigerian states remains uneven and Plateau State's implementation record is particularly weak. The study draws on comparative administrative law frameworks from Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa to assess best practices in domestic FOIA implementation. A professional practice methodology combines a review of FOIA compliance records and information request response rates in 10 Plateau State government ministries and agencies with interviews of civil servants, journalists, civil society monitors, and the state attorney general's office. Secondary data from the Media Rights Agenda annual FOIA implementation assessment reports are analyzed. Findings reveal that the vast majority of formal information requests submitted to Plateau State agencies in 2022 to 2024 went unanswered, that no dedicated FOIA compliance officer exists in the state bureaucracy, and that officials remain poorly trained on their disclosure obligations. The study develops a practical administrative compliance framework for Plateau State institutions. Recommendations include appointment of FOIA compliance officers, proactive publication of government data on state websites, and independent FOIA oversight by the Plateau State House of Assembly. Keywords: right to information, FOIA, government accountability, Plateau State, administrative law.