The Federal Government has warned that unauthorized disclosure or leakage of official documents, capable of impacting the country negatively, is a punishable offence.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja at a workshop organized by the Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in collaboration with the Office of the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The workshop, themed ‘Renewing Hope and Strengthening National Unity Through Effective Communication and the Role of the Official Secrets Act in Maintaining Confidentiality and National Security,’ was represented by Permanent Secretary in the Office of the SGF, Dr. Nnamdi Mbaeri.
Akume emphasized that unauthorized leakage of sensitive official documents constitutes a felony with no defense under the Constitution or Freedom of Information Act.
“Section 97 (2) of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria provides: ‘Any person who, being employed in the public service, without proper authority abstracts, or makes a copy of, any document the property of his employer is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year.'”
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Akume recalled previous measures taken by the government to contain the leakage of sensitive official information through service-wide circulars issued by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation in August 2021 and February 2024.
“This was reinforced by the issuance of another service-wide circular in February 2024 on the unauthorized circulation of official documents with information on social media,” he said. “This was done to re-emphasize other extant regulations prohibiting unauthorized disclosure or leakage of official documents.”
“There is the need to regulate the activities of civil society organizations who use the Freedom of Information Act to harass, intimidate, and siphon resources from public officers through the dissemination of fake and unfounded information. This should be properly addressed by all practitioners in the communication and related industries,” he added.
Akume commended the BPSR for organizing the workshop, underscoring its importance in government’s effort to disseminate correct and truthful information.
Director-General of the Bureau, Dr. Dasuki Arabi, urged participants to equip themselves with the Official Secrets Act and effectively communicate government policies and programs to the public.
“Your role as communication managers in MDAs is crucial, especially in our increasingly complex information ecosystem,” Arabi said. “In today’s environment, communications and platforms are highly fragmented. The government cannot afford to be reactive; it must lead the communication landscape to prevent misinformation and ensure that citizens are well informed about the activities, objectives of government and benefits of its policies and programs to the citizens of the country.”
“Accurate and prompt information delivery is essential and cannot be compromised as its impact on service delivery and governance is profound,” he emphasized.
Arabi tasked communication managers to take advantage of the training to use traditional and social media platforms to ensure the public is well informed about government initiatives, programs, and services.
