The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
debunked the report by the press freedom organization, Committee To
Protect Journalists (CPJ), that a certain Nigerian journalist has been
in detention for the past two years.
The Minister, who issued the rebuttal at the Gala/Award Night of the
International Press Institute (IPI) in Abuja on Friday, said the
person the CPJ was referring to was never a journalist.
“Let me state here, without equivocating, that contrary to the report
by the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), no journalist is in
detention in Nigeria. Clement Abiri, who is being referred to as a
journalist, is not one. He does not belong to any chapel of the
Nigerian Union of Journalists. He was arrested for pipeline vandalism
and crude theft, including militant activities in the Niger Delta,” he
said.
Alhaji Mohammed restated the commitment of the present administration
to press freedom and gave the assurance that the media has nothing to
fear under the present dispensation.
“In my opening comments at the 2016 IPI Congress in Doha, I said we as
a government view the media as a partner. That remains true. I also
said the media in Nigeria has nothing to fear from this
Administration, and that – if anything – we as a government are the
ones who have to fear the media. Also, that has not changed.
”We are proud that the Nigerian media is one of the most vibrant in
the world. We are proud of the role that the Nigerian media has played
in our long march to democratic governance. This administration will
continue to provide the enabling environment for the journalist to
function unmolested,” he said.
While speaking on the theme of the 67th IPI World Congress, which is
“Why Good Journalism Matters,” the Minister said apart from alerting
the government to the indispensable role of the media in the society,
it reminds it of the purpose of journalism which is to serve all
citizens in a democratic society and to tell the truth.
“If we all agree about this obligation, then it behoves the media to
tell the truth, not just to power, but to the people, making it easier
for them to get the facts in the right context, thus facilitating
their decision-making process. But in an era of growing cases of fake
news and disinformation, can we still say the media – whether
traditional or new – is living true to this dictum? If the answer is
no, what does this portend for the profession in particular and the
society in general? I am sure this congress is examining the issue
critically in the course of its deliberations,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed appealed to the media to always report the government
in the right context in order to give the people the opportunity to
make informed decisions.
He said the present administration has kept its promise to fight
corruption, tackle insecurity and revamp the economy.
The Minister said before the advent of the present administration, a
territory three times the size of Lebanon, in the North-east of the
country, was firmly in the hands of Boko Haram but that not an inch of
the territory is currently under the control of Boko Haram.
“That is a fact. When Mr. President was taking the oath of office,
Boko Haram retained the capacity to stroll into this city, at a time
of its own choosing, to wreak havoc. Remember that the insurgents
attacked the UN Complex, the police headquarters, motor parks, a
newspaper office, etc right here in Abuja. That is now history. And
that is a fact! Yes, cowardly suicide bombings still occur
occasionally, such is the nature of a waning insurgency, what I will
call the last kicks of a dying horse,” he said.
In the area of fighting corruption, Alhaji Mohammed said in addition
to prosecution of alleged looters, the government has embarked on
institutional reforms to address the menace, citing the implementation
of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the establishment of an
Efficiency Unit to monitor the income and expenditure of government.
He said the government’s Whistle-Blower Policy has yielded massive
dividends, listing 13.8 billion Naira from tax evaders, as well as 7.8
billion Naira, 378 million dollars and 27,800 pounds in recoveries
from public officials targeted by whistleblowers.
The Minister thanked the IPI for granting Nigeria the hosting right
for its 67th World Congress, which he described as an affirmation that
Nigeria is now safe for citizens and foreigners alike.