The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said his ministry was collaborating with the United States government to promote and strengthen press freedom in Nigeria. This was disclosed while speaking with newsmen shortly after he met with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Richard Mills in his office.
The Ambassador spoke about some issues that he thinks we need to address and improve in the area of press freedom, and we have also given him assurance on what we are doing and he recognises the fact that we are doing a great job in ensuring that Nigerian press is not just free but also one of the freest around the world. I know there are some challenges here and there; and we are working on those areas to make sure that all of us enjoy what is called press freedom, which is an important part of any viable democracy,” he said.
Further, the minister underlined that press freedom was high on the agenda of the Tinubu administration and made sure the government was committed to further promoting media freedom in the country. He added that they also talked over how they can create a common front in the fight against misinformation and disinformation in the country.
“He talked about misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and all that stuff, and we discussed that. We all believe collectively that there’s no way you can build a virile society when you promote fake news and don’t take the issue of misinformation and disinformation seriously,” the minister said.
Ambassador Mills, in a remark said he was at the minister’s office to discuss ways of strengthening the existing relationship between US government and the ministry, particularly on issue of press freedom and journalists’ right.
He appreciated the effort of the minister championing the course of press freedom and journalists’ rights in Nigeria. The US envoy, who expressed the huge challenge disinformation posed to democracies all over the world, added that they had equally shared thoughts and ideas with the minister on how to tackle the challenge.
