By Blessing Iriaka  If an organisation like BudgIT , whose work is centred on helping citizens understand and demand accountability in public spending, can struggle to obtain information from government institutions using Nigeria's Freedom of Information Act, what does that say about the ordinary citizen trying to get answers? Are public institutions withholding information because there is something they do not want citizens to see? Or have we simply built a public system where responding to citizens is not treated with the seriousness it deserves? I began thinking about these questions during a webinar I conducted in May 2025 as an Advocacy Officer at the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE). I brought together experts to discuss Nigeria's Freedom of Information Act and what it actually means for citizens. One of the people I interviewed was Chimezie Ebosie, Imo State Officer of BudgIT . What he told me was disturbing. According to Ebosie, BudgIT s...