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BENIN CITY — The Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), alongside Comrade Omobude Agho and Comrade Godspower Okunbor, has returned to the Court of Appeal in Benin City to challenge issues arising from its Freedom of Information suit against the Edo State Government over records relating to projects executed under the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) programme.
A copy of the appellants’ brief of argument seen by our correspondent shows that the matter is before the Court of Appeal, Benin Judicial Division, in Appeal No. CA/B/109/2020, arising from Suit No. B/80OS/2018.
The appellants listed the Government of Edo State and the Project Coordinator, State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project, as respondents.
The document, dated September 30, 2023, was prepared by counsel to the appellants and bears court filing and service endorsements dated October 3, 2025.
The legal dispute dates back to 2018, when EDOCSO and other activists sought information from the Edo State Government concerning projects undertaken under the SEEFOR programme.
According to a legal publication by FOI Counsel, the request included information on roads and school projects shortlisted for execution across Edo State between 2016 and 2017, as well as certified copies of bills of quantities and drawings relating to the projects awarded. The request was reportedly not granted, leading to the court action.
SEEFOR was a World Bank/European Union-supported intervention programme implemented in selected Niger Delta states, including Edo, with projects covering areas such as infrastructure and employment. Contemporary reporting also shows that EDOCSO had been involved in monitoring SEEFOR projects in Edo State and had raised concerns about the quality and execution of some projects.
The case therefore places access to government records and public accountability at the centre of the dispute.
A publication by FOI Counsel states that the Edo State High Court delivered judgment in the matter on December 19, 2019. The publication says the court considered the applicability of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 to the Edo State Government, against the backdrop of an earlier Court of Appeal decision concerning the application of the Act to state institutions.
The filing now before the Court of Appeal indicates that the appellants are seeking appellate consideration of the issues arising from the lower-court proceedings.
The development could have wider implications for the relationship between citizens' right to request information and the obligation of sub-national governments to provide records concerning publicly funded projects.
For EDOCSO, the case is also part of a longer campaign for transparency in the management and implementation of government projects in Edo State. The organisation has previously inspected government projects and called for citizens and professional bodies to have access to project specifications so that the quality of public works can be independently assessed.
The Court of Appeal's eventual determination will be significant to the parties because it could clarify the legal questions surrounding the information sought by the civil society group and the obligations of the state government in responding to such requests.
Editor’s note: The document supplied establishes that an appellants’ brief was filed in the Court of Appeal. It does not, by itself, establish that the Court of Appeal has delivered a final judgment in the appeal. Accordingly, the story does not present the appeal as having been decided.
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