Access to Information Laws and Corruption: Any Nexus?

Abstract

Corruption has remained a daunting global challenge and Nigeria is not left out of the quagmire. One striking attribute of corruption is that it works conjointly with secrecy and any advancement towards opening governments to public scrutiny will foster anti-corruption efforts, hence the validation of a right that demands that government actions are open to public scrutiny. While some scholars hold the view that access laws have significant impact on corruption, others contend that these laws have no impact and in some cases increase corruption. This paper adopts the doctrinal methodology in assessing whether access laws have any impact on the problem of corruption. The paper reveals that a virile information system will engender transparency necessary to expose corrupt acts, as access laws are not only a public right but also a deterrent to corruption. Conversely, the lack of access to information fosters corruption. Therefore, for an effective control of corruption, access laws must be operative. Otherwise, they will remain emblematic, not transcending the papers on which they are written. It therefore recommends that for access laws to impact significantly on corruption, they should be compliant with international standard and be capable of guaranteeing actual access to public information.