Contact details
- Name:
- Mr Oludayo Bamgbose
- Qualifications:
- University of Ibadan (Master of Library and Information Studies) 2017-2019; Nigerian Law School (Barrister-at-law) 2014-2015; University of Ibadan (Bachelor of Laws) 2008-2013; University of Ibadan (Bachelor of Library and Information Studies) 2004-2008.
- Position/Fellowship type:
- Visiting Research Fellow
- Fellowship term:
- 01-Oct-2024 to 28-Feb-2024
- Institute:
- Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
- Home institution:
- Justice Babasola Ogunade Law Library
- Email address:
- oj.bamgbose@acu.edu.ng
- Website:
- https://law.library.cornell.edu/fellows/oludayo-john-bambose-nigeria/
Research Summary and Profile
- Research interests:
- Law, Library
- Project summary relevant to Fellowship:
My fellowship is proposed to be an intersection between law librarianship and information law and policy and I am open to be hosted by either of the two centres.
Access to justice (A2J) is an essential component of every legal system across the world. In view of this, there are steps often embarked upon by nations to ensure that their citizens are able to access justice irrespective of their status. Access to justice helps to deepen democracy and ensures that societies progress as there cannot be development in an environment where injustice thrives. Due to the importance attached to the provision of access to justice world over, the primarily duty of ensuring that access to justice is provided ordinarily rests with the government. In achieving this obligation on the part of the government, several initiatives, including legal aid and pro bono services are made available to citizens, most especially, the indigent ones.
Meanwhile, several studies have established that the governmental efforts are usually grossly insufficient in guaranteeing access to justice. As a result, non-state actors often try to support the efforts of the government in extending the frontiers of access to justice to citizens. The activities of these non-state actors, including but not limited to the academia, not-for-profit making organizations, pressure groups are to compliment the limited activities of the government.
In recent time, one of the ways adopted by government towards enhancing justice is to ensure that government’s records and information are accessible to citizens, thereby, mandating the government to be accountable and transparent in its official dealings. More importantly, citizens’ access to government information may enable citizens to engage with the government on key issues relating to governance and in some instances, demand that their rights to some basic amenities be enforced. Albeit, Freedom of Information Laws have been enacted by many governments of nations, yet, certain information are still not within the reach of the citizenry, mainly, due to the culture of secrecy on the part of the government and its officials and fear of criticisms.
One of the major initiatives that seek to support citizens’ access to government information is the Legal Information Institute which is now spreading across the world. While, it may be safe to conclude that these institutes continue to provide unfettered access to government information across the world and in a way, helping to deepen democracy, perusal of literature shows that there is dearth of scholarship on the role of these legal information institutes in accessing justice, particularly, within the contexts: Nigeria, Britain and Canada.
Therefore, I seek to use the opportunity of this fellowship to investigate the role of legal information institutes in enhancing access to justice. The scope of this study shall be limited to three legal information institutes comprising of the Nigerian Legal Information Institute where I currently work as its Programme Manager, British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BIAL II) and the Canadian Legal Information Institute using mixed research methods.
It is expected that upon completion, the findings from this study may be useful in enhancing citizens’ unfettered access to government information. The findings therefrom, may also suggest areas of sectoral reforms that are capable of enhancing proactive disclosure of information by MDAs. the outcomes from this study further assist funders and donors to identify critical areas that require interventions as far as the activities of the legal information institutes are with regards to access to justice. This research further hopes to suggest ways to make the works of the legal information institutes more effective in their respective jurisdictions. Although, this study is concentrated within the context: Nigeria, Britain and Canada, the findings may be useful to legal information institutes in other jurisdictions.