SECTOR 1 Citizens have also not been successful in using public bills to participate in lawmaking. In the uneven distribution of power and influence, public legislative initiatives are least likely to successfully become law, compared to private members bills and executive bills, in that order. One panellist explained: The chances of public bills surviving [legislative processes] are slim, even though they usually arise from broad consultation and reflect public perceptions. The success of private members’ bills depends on how influential the private member is in the house [of parliament] and how well they can lobby other lawmakers and executive interests. And, executive bills are traditionally more successful and results from the lowest amounts of public consultations. The FOI Act, which was pushed on the national agenda by CSOs, is a notable exception. Despite a more than ten-year delay by the authorities, it was finally voted and signed into law in 2011. ‘No bill has ever attracted [such] public interest as the FOI Act,’ said one panellist. ‘A lot more discussion on the bill took place in the public arena rather than within the government.’ Scores: Individual scores: 21 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ Average score: Score of previous years: 2 2008: n/a; 2011: 4.4; 2015: 1.5 Overall Score for Sector 1: 3.3 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2019 ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓