By Ibrahim Musa, Kaduna A legal battle has erupted over the academic records and curriculum vitae of the Minister of State for D...
By Ibrahim Musa, Kaduna
A legal battle has erupted over the academic records and curriculum vitae of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as a non-governmental organisation, Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, has dragged the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and its Permanent Secretary before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2449/2025, was filed on November 14. It seeks the court’s intervention to compel the SGF’s office to release Matawalle’s academic and appointment documents, which the organisation had earlier requested through a Freedom of Information (FOI) application.
Through its counsel, Mubarak Bala, the plaintiff argued that the SGF’s office unlawfully declined the request, relying on Section 14(1) of the FOI Act, which protects personal information from disclosure.
However, the plaintiff maintained that Section 14(2) of the Act mandates disclosure where public interest outweighs privacy concerns, insisting that Matawalle’s academic and background records fall squarely within matters of legitimate public interest given his position as a public office holder.
The suit seeks several declarations, including that the SGF’s refusal to release the minister’s CV and supporting documents is unlawful and contrary to Sections 1(1), 4, 7, and 14(2) of the FOI Act. It also asks the court to affirm that a minister’s CV, submitted during the appointment process, constitutes a public record under Section 2(6) of the Act.
The plaintiff further seeks an order of mandamus compelling the SGF to release the documents or provide an official summary, as well as an order directing the respondents to pay N5,000,000 as general damages for the denial of access to information.
According to the applicant, the FOI request was validly made but was wrongfully denied on the basis of personal information protection, which it says violates its statutory right to access public information.
The court has yet to fix a date for hearing, a development expected to intensify ongoing public debate around transparency and accountability in government.
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