By Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has poured water on the report by the press freedom organisation, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), accusing the Nigerian government of detaining a journalist for the past two years.
The rebuttal was issued at the Gala/Award Night of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Abuja on Friday.
Mohammed insisted that Clement Abiri, purportedly being referred to by the CPJ, was not a journalist but an oil pipe vandal.
“Let me state here, without equivocation, 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,†Mohammed said.
The minister restated federal government support for press freedom, insisting the media has nothing to fear under the present dispensation.
He described the Nigerian media as one of the most vibrant in the world, saying the media played a crucial role in the country’s long march to democratic governance.
The minister said government would continue to provide the enabling environment for journalists to function unmolested,
“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,†he said.
He underscored the indispensable role of the media to society while speaking on the theme of the 67th IPI World Congress: ‘Why Good Journalism Matters’.
According to the minister, apart from being a watchdog, the media role 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.
He 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 had kept its promise to fight corruption, tackle insecurity and revamp the economy.
He stressed that in addition to prosecution of alleged looters, the government has also 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.
Mohammed said the Whistle-Blower Policy has yielded massive dividends, listing N13.8 billion from tax evaders, as well as N7.8 billion, $378 million and 327,800 pounds in recoveries from public officials targeted by whistleblowers.
He 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
