By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were on Wednesday updated by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, on the controversial news report by Daily Trust on the Samoa agreement, and the steps being taken to seek remedy from the newspaper house.
The newspaper had claimed that the federal government had acquiesced to clauses in the deal requiring Nigeria to endorse the rights of Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) persons in the country in order to obtain financial grants of up to $150 billion via the Samoa Agreement.
“The Samoa Agreement serves as a vital legal framework for cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), and the European Union, with the aim of promoting sustainable development, fighting climate change and its effects, generating investment opportunities, and fostering increased collaboration among OACPS member states at theinternational stage.”
The agreement was signed on 28 June, 2024, at OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.
Briefing State House reporters after the FEc meeting in Abuja, Idris reiterated that the report is false, and the FEC has endorsed his decision to report Daily Trust to the press ombudsman in the country – the Nigerian Press Council – to compel the newspaper to refrain from circulating the wrong information and to apologize to the government and Nigerians.
He said it is regrettable that some Nigerians have come up with different insinuations which are totally incorrect , following the report which he said were intended to cause confusion and mislead the people against the government.
The Minister said: “FEC deliberated on the Daily Trust report on the Samoa agreement and concluded that it was meant to mislead the people against the government. We have written to Ombudsman to call the newspaper to order.
“We will wait for the Ombudsman report but will also urge the press to report responsibly even as the Tinubu led administration recommits to press freedom.
“Tinubu government has no intention to gag the press or act in anyway seen to be inhibiting media workers rights, they are seen as strong pillar towards fostering democracy in the country.
“They should ensure fake news has no footing in Nigeria. The report has damaged the psyche of some Nigerians”.
He added that “we have made a complaint to the ombudsman to look at the report and we have cited examples of where Daily Trust have got it wrong. So that Daily Trust can come clean and also mention or apologise to the nation and the government.”
