Access to public records needed for research is necessary for the task to take place. Researchers inNigeria used to encounter difficulties when attempting to access public records from the publicinstitutions for their researches. The public institutions include ministries, departments, agencies,libraries, hospitals, academic institutions, armed force institutions, paramilitary institutions etc.These institutions sometimes delay requests, have irregular service hours, etc., which oftendiscourages researchers and may lead to the withdrawal of requests. There are legal frameworksin Nigeria, including provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the Freedom of Information(FOI) Act, which grant researchers the right to access public records. These records are documentscreated or maintained by public institutions. They are sometimes needed by sub-degree,undergraduate, and postgraduate researchers. Proper access typically requires formal proceduressuch as use of official letters, appropriate communication etc. Denial of access to such records canlimit problem-solving, slow national development among others. Denial may be due to lack ofawareness of access laws, improper approaches by researchers etc. Artificial Intelligence, AI,serves as a promising tool for public enlightenment by simplifying legal language, answeringquestions about access laws, assisting in interpretation of legal provisions etc. This study concludesthat Artificial Intelligence can serve as an effective instrument for enhancing public awareness andfacilitating lawful access to public records in Nigerian society. It is recommended among others2that developing AI literacy and its adoption for accessing information on public records laws,among others shall be carried out.Keywords: Access to public records, Artificial Intelligence, Freedom of Information Act, publicrecords, researchers
Aliyu et al. (2026) studied this question.