This year’s Dialogue, themed “Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: What Is Working and What Is Not Working,” brought together key stakeholders, policymakers, scholars, and civic leaders to reflect on Nigeria’s democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999, and to examine the nation’s governance challenges, achievements, and future prospects.

Professor Yilwatda’s presence, according to his media aide, Mr. Abimbola Tooki, underscored the APC’s commitment to constructive national engagement on democracy, governance, and institutional reform.

He said as national chairman of the ruling party, his participation highlighted the importance the APC places on inclusive dialogue, reflective leadership, and the continuous strengthening of national unity, party cohesion, and democratic institutions, in alignment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Organised by Daily Trust, one of Nigeria’s leading media organisations, the annual Dialogue remains a respected platform for robust debate and policy-oriented conversations on issues shaping the country’s political and socio-economic landscape.

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Being full report of the investigation by the National Media Complaints Commission, NMCC, otherwise referred to as The Ombudsman, into complaints lodged by the Federal Government against Daily Trust newspaper on Samoa Agreement. The Federal Government described the newspaper report, published on July 4, 2024, as containing false and misleading information that severely threatened national security.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

On July 8, 2024, the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC) received a formal complaint from the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation against the Daily Trust newspaper, published by Media Trust Ltd, in which it alleged that the newspaper published an article on July 4, 2024 “containing false and misleading information that severely threatens national security.”

The Ministry asserted that because of the alleged false report, “individuals and government officials have been subjected to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying across social media.”

It, therefore, requested the NMCC to intervene in the matter and, among other things:

• Carry out a thorough investigation of the alleged misleading publication.
• Direct the newspaper’s management to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information, with equal prominence as the original article.
• Direct the newspaper’s management to issue an unequivocal apology for allegedly recklessly disseminating false information; and
• Implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent a repeat of such alleged unwholesome report by any newspaper in the future.

The NMCC acknowledged receipt of the letter from the Ministry. The petition was passed  to the management of the Daily Trust newspapers. They were requested to respond to the issues contained therein within a stipulated deadline.

Thereafter, the NMCC constituted a five-member complaints’ committee to consider the petition, review the statements of complaint and defence, and report to the Commission its findings. The committee was also directed to make appropriate recommendations on the measures to be taken in line with the mandate of the Commission, which is to resolve complaints speedily and fairly, with the view to maintaining high standards of journalism practice and journalistic ethics; and defending the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

2.0 PROCEDURE ADOPTED

The committee, in line with its mandate and established practice, adopted a Documents-Only review procedure to address the issues at stake and reach its determination. This is a process where the allegations are determined without an oral hearing. The focus is on reviewing written documents submitted by the parties. In this case, there was no oral pleading or testimony. The committee weighed the allegations against Daily Trust, its defence against the professional scale of standards contained in the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists to reach its conclusion and make its recommendations. The report was carefully reviewed and adopted by the Commission.

3.0 STATEMENT OF COMPLAINT

In the complaint dated July 8, 2024, and signed by Dr.  Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, on behalf of the Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Ministry alleged that on July 4, 2024, the newspaper published a front-page news item titled “LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal,” in which it reported that the Federal Government had endorsed a European Union (EU) partnership agreement (referred to as the “Samoa Agreement”) with member-states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), despite some conditional clauses that compel benefiting nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition.

The Ministry described the report as “false and misleading” and said that because of the alleged false report, “individuals and government officials have been subjected to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying across social media.”

It, therefore, asked the NMCC to intervene in the matter and, among other things:

• Carry out a thorough investigation of the alleged misleading publication;
• Direct the newspaper’s management to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information, with equal prominence as the original article;
• Direct the newspaper’s management to issue an unequivocal apology for allegedly, recklessly disseminating false information; and
• Implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent a repeat of such alleged unwholesome report by any newspaper in the future.

The NMCC sent a formal acknowledgment letter dated July 10, 2024, and signed by its Interim Secretary, Mr. Feyi Smith, to the Ministry, informing it that the complaint was receiving due attention, and that the outcome would be duly communicated to the Ministry at the end of the exercise.

The Commission also wrote to the Management of the Daily Trust newspaper on July 12, 2024, informing it of the complaint against the newspaper. It provided the newspaper with a copy of the Ministry’s complaint and asked for its formal response within 14 working days, in accordance with the NMCC’s established procedure.

 4.0 DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED BY THE COMPLAINANT

1. Letter of Complaint of July 8, 2024.
2. Copy of the lead story of Daily Trust of July 4, 2024, and its continuation on page 4 of the same edition. Headlined: “LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 billion Samoa deal”, it also featured the following kickers:

• Clerics, CSOs furious
• It’s not about same-sex marriage – Minister’s aide
• N/Assembly didn’t consider agreement – Rep Yusuf

3. A 403-page copy of the Samoa Agreement, titled, “Partnership Agreement Between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States of the other part” dated Brussels, 19 July 2023.

5.0 STATEMENT OF DEFENCE BY THE RESPONDENT

The Daily Trust responded to the NMCC by a letter dated July 18, 2024, co-signed by Maryam Aminu Bello, Company Secretary and Legal Adviser, and Ahmed Ibrahim Shekarau, the Group Chief Executive Officer with numerous annexures, being copies of various stories and reports that the newspaper had published on the issue. The newspaper asserted that the allegations against it were “unfounded” and that the major strand of its story was that the Nigerian Government had signed the Samoa Agreement, which is an incontrovertible fact. It also stressed that at the time of the publication of its story on July 4, 2024, the version of the Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government was not available for review by the public. (Emphases ours)

6.0 DOCUMENTS SUPPLIED BY THE RESPONDENT

1. Copy of the lead story of Daily Trust of July 4, 2024, headlined: “LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 billion Samoa deal”, with the accompanying kickers below:

• Clerics, CSOs furious
• It’s not about same-sex marriage – Minister’s aide
• N/Assembly didn’t consider agreement – Rep Yusuf
• Continuation of the story on Page 4 of the same edition

2. Opinion article by Mr. Sonnie Ekwowusi, titled “Nigeria should unsign the LGBT agreement (Page 17, Daily Trust, July 4, 2024).
3. Story, headlined: “Samoa Agreement signed in Nigeria’s interest – FG” (Page 5, Daily Trust, July 5, 2024)
4. “Report on Samoa Agreement: Our position” (Full page statement on Page 3, of the Daily Trust of July 8, 2024), signed by Maryam Aminu Bello Esq, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Media Trust Group.
5. Opinion article by Suleiman A. Suleiman, titled “Samoa Agreement: The Daily Trust story got it wrong” (Back page of the Daily Trust of July 8, 2024).
6. “Suspend Samoa Agreement’s implementation – Reps tell FG”, front page lead story (with continuation on Page 4), Daily Trust, July 10, 2024.
7. Report, titled “Samoa report: FG to await position of Media Ombudsman”.

• Reps make U-turn, Daily Trust, page 6, July 11, 2024

8. Story, titled: “Catholic Bishops, Ulama reject Samoa Agreement”, news report, with kicker, JIBWIS raises c’ttee to examine pact. (Page 10, Daily Trust, July 12, 2024).
9. Story, titled: “Samoa Agreement: NIPR raises committee of experts” (Page 30, Daily Trust, July 12, 2024).
10. Opinion article by Mr. Monima Daminabo titled: “Samoa Agreement: Sunnyside of the multilateral deal” (Page 17, Daily Trust July 13, 2024).
11. Opinion article by Kehinde Mary Bello, titled: “The Samoa Agreement: The benefits as compared to other similar agreements with the global south” (Page 18, Daily Trust, July 13, 2024).
12. A 403-page copy of the Samoa Agreement, titled, “Partnership Agreement Between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States of the other part”, dated Brussels, 19 July 2023.
13. Briefing Document on the Samoa Agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific States prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) said to have been provided by the Minister of Information and National Orientation during a press conference with the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning on July 7, 2024.

7.0 REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS PRESENTED

On August 21, 2024, the NMCC wrote another letter to the Daily Trust, requesting it to supply the Commission with a copy of the Samoa Agreement, which formed the basis of its report of July 4, 2024. The newspaper responded and provided the requested document under cover of a letter dated August 23, 2024.

The NMCC wrote a similar letter on August 21, 2024, to the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation requesting a copy of the Samoa Agreement signed by the Federal Government and any other relevant document. On September 6, the Ministry sent a 403-page copy of the Samoa Agreement, titled, “Partnership Agreement Between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States of the other part” dated Brussels, 19 July 2023, as the document that guided the signed Agreement.

The Commission took these steps to ensure that it had all the relevant information and materials to enable it determine the facts of the matter and establish the accuracy or otherwise of the details contained in the publication complained about.

In the interest of a speedy resolution of the matter, the NMCC proceeded to conduct a thorough review of the relevant documents made available to it as well as various reports on the issue by the Daily Trust.

The objective of our examination and the review process has been to ascertain if any violation of journalistic standards occurred, particularly with respect to the Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists of 2022.

The first test we addressed was, WHAT REALLY DID THE SAMOA AGREEMENT SAY?

This question is germane to establishing if such an Agreement exists. Without a doubt, both the Complainant and the Respondent agree that there is such a document. What is contentious is the content. Whereas the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation says the Agreement did not have anything related to LGBTQ, the Daily Trust anchored its original report of July 4, 2024, on its claims that the signed Agreement contains such references.

Both parties also submitted the same 403-page document, referenced in 4.0 (3) and 6.0 (12).

Nowhere in that report of July 4, 2024, did the Daily Trust, however, directly quote any verified section of any version of the Samoa Agreement that substantiates the claim conveyed in its headline that the Nigerian Government had signed a $150 billion deal that is anchored on a conditional support/recognition for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Queer lifestyle.

Instead, it quotes an opinion article written by Mr.  Sonnie  Ekwowusi on July 3, 2024, which alleges that the agreement requires support by parties to it for LGBTQ. The relevant portion of the article states as follows: “The Samoa Agreement, named after the Pacific Island, where it was signed on November 15, 2023, is a celebration of perversity. Certain Articles of the Agreement especially Articles 2.5 and 29.5 legalise LGBT, transgenderism, abortion, teen sexual abuse, and perversity in African countries. The signing of the Agreement by Nigeria constitutes a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria and Africa. It further debases our democracy.” (Emphases ours)

Since Mr. Ekwowusi’s opinion article cites Articles 2.5 and 29.5 of the said Samoa Agreement, the least that the Daily Trust should have done was to read those sections and determine whether it was a valid conclusion to draw. It did not. Rather, it gave further vent to Ekwowusi’s criticisms of the Agreement: “I can wager that neither Minister Atiku Bagudu nor the Nigerian officials or diplomats who signed the Samoa Agreement on our behalf, understand the import of the agreement to Nigeria’s sovereignty, let alone the destructive impact of the Agreement in Nigeria. This explains why many African bodies including the AfBA have condemned the Agreement and respectfully urged African countries not to sign it. Not infrequently, Nigerian officials in Geneva, New York, and other places sign international agreements or treaties over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with little or no knowledge of their contents.”

Article 2.5 of the Agreement states that “The parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies.” What does a “gender perspective” mean? What does it mean to mainstream “gender equality across all policies”? The Daily Trust did not address these questions that could have made the report more robust. However, we find nothing in the Agreement to directly suggest that this includes support for, or acceptance of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender and Queer individuals as forming part of a gender perspective.

Article 29.5 says, “The Parties shall support universal access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes”. Again, beyond citing Mr. Ekwuwosi’s reference to the section, without an accompanying quote, the Daily Trust’s reporting did not shed light on the matter. Instead, the rest of the report appeared to continue to build-up public opinion against the Agreement.

Samples:

“The word LGBTQ++ that Nigerians have been contesting is now part of our law because Nigeria has decided to sign it. So, Nigerians should be very bitter with what is going on. They should challenge their legislators and policy makers to explain why they chose to commit to this dangerous agreement.”—Richard Kakeeto, Family Watch International, Africa Region. This claim that the word LGBTQ++ is now part of our law is clearly false as it is not borne out by anything contained in the Samoa Agreement.

“Our stand is very clear. Whoever signed on behalf of Nigerians needs to apologise. All he (Tinubu) needs to do is to apologise on Nigeria’s behalf very nicely and tell them that the truth is we have not signed. We are withdrawing from the ACP-EU Treaty. That is all we ask the President to do. That is all we will accept. Anything less than that will not be accepted.”—Mrs. Omoye Olaye, Media Coordinator, World Council for Health (WCH) International and Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH).

The Daily Trust maintained its editorial interest in the story the following day, July 5, 2024. In “Samoa agreement signed in Nigeria’s interest”, the Daily Trust in the 27-paragraph report, devoted four to the Information minister’s statement clarifying the import of the agreement. After publishing the minister’s clarification, the Daily Trust then proceeded to advance clear sentiments which tended to give a divisive religious colouration to the development by saying:

“The federal government has said the signing of the Samoa agreement was done in the country’s interest. The agreement reportedly has some clauses that compel underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community for recognition, as a condition for getting financial and other support from advanced societies. Named after the Pacific Island Samoa, where it was signed, the agreement is gradually gaining traction, despite opposition by many countries that cherish Islamic and Christianity values, in addition to the sensitivity of their cultures.”

The Daily Trust additionally accommodated in its report the following statements, which were taken from social media and reproduced without any editing:

‘@AbdullahiAmiga: “I don’t know what a Samoa deal is but hearing LGBT in a country governed by “Muslim-Muslim” is dishonourable, disgraceful and shameful.”

It also went on to include this:

‘Writing from Abuja, Mallam Abdulkarim Muhammad Abdullahi, said: “To hell with the American Pentagon-funded conspiratorial CIA-FBI treacherous anti-muslim monetised homosexual cult project! We as true believers in Islam, Allah’s ordained and divine faith, cannot be compromised because we are worshippers of Allah Ubangji. This is the end of the road for the implementation of the controversial Satanic American Pentagon-instigated Samoa Deal. To hell with America and those who believe in promoting their LGBTQ experimental lifestyles fan zone therapy here in Nigeria.”

Once again relying uncritically on social media content in its reporting, Daily Trust also published the following:

‘On X, formerly Twitter, Abdul-Aziz Na’ibi Abubakar, writing via @jrnaib2, said: “To my fellow Muslims, those who were deceived to vote for the Muslim-Muslim Ticket thinking that Tinubu & Shettima will emulate Islamic style of leadership, look at where we’re today! We will now sit back; fingers crossed and watch whether the clerics that promoted Muslim-Muslim Ticket will come out and condemn Tinubu or not. Elections have consequences!”

7.1  The Official Position of the Respondent

After stirring public interest in the Samoa story through its various reports, the Daily Trust on July 8, 2024, published its reaction to the attendant comments on its reports on the issue in the preceding four days. In “Report on Samoa Agreement: Our position”, which goes for a signed editorial, Maryam Aminu Bello, company secretary and legal adviser, said: “We have also acknowledged lapses in our reporting on this particular matter, pointed out to us by professional colleagues, and we will review and take appropriate measures. As our editors understood it, the Samoa Agreement signed by Nigeria has expanded the definition of gender rights, from the traditional male-female, to a new norm, captured by the term LGBTQ (Lesbian; Bi-sexual, Gay, Queer). That is the crux of the matter. If the agreement does not aim at promoting such new orientation, widely accepted in Western countries, then we are wrong in our interpretation. We will readily apologise both to the government and to the public for crying wolf. We expect that those qualified, by training and experience, to make such a judgement, will weigh into the matter and we will as usual, publish all sides in the discussion, including that of the government. We wish to add that in this story, as in others over the last 26 years, the Daily Trust tried to be guided by public interest. It is also important for us to clarify some of the insinuations.” (Emphases ours)

8.0 ANALYSIS OF THE POSITION OF THE RESPONDENT

The import of what the Daily Trust published as highlighted above is that it acknowledges that its reporting was not thorough. It also pledged to “review and take appropriate measures.” It tried to justify its position that “the Samoa Agreement signed by Nigeria has expanded the definition of gender rights from the traditional male-female to a new norm captured by the term LGBTQ”.

The Daily Trust submitted as follows: “If the agreement does not aim at promoting such new orientation, widely accepted in Western countries, then we are wrong in our interpretation. We will readily apologise both to the government and to the public for crying wolf.” (Emphases ours)

In other words, even after four days of consistent reporting on the matter, the Daily Trust could not confidently say that the Agreement was unambiguous in its call for support for an LGBTQ lifestyle.

Article 2.0 of the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists, which deals with Accuracy and Fairness, has robust provisions which are germane to addressing the issues contained in the coverage of this matter. The relevant provisions state as follows:

“2.1 The public has a right to know and receive reliable information. Factual, accurate, balanced, fair, and responsible reporting is the ultimate objective of good journalism and the basis of earning public trust and confidence.

2.2 The haste to publish the news first must be matched by the need to get it right. The charge of Fake News is one that a journalist should not crave. A journalist should, therefore, refrain from publishing inaccurate and misleading information. Where such information has been inadvertently published, prompt equitable prominence should be given to the correction made.

2.3 Every effort must be made to publish the different sides to a story and have it reported in a context that is fair and meaningful. It does not relieve the journalist of the duty to report as truthfully as possible.

2.4 Journalists who copy accusations, or allegations against someone made in a different medium, or who retrieve these allegations from articles or recordings from the archive, must handle such information carefully. They cannot assume that the statements published previously have taken on the character of undisputed fact just because they were not contested.

2.5 Follow-up efforts on developing stories is important to give the public well-rounded picture of developments, which may not always end as they promised at the beginning.

2.6 Retouching a picture by an electronic method or formulating a picture caption should not be done in such a way as to mislead the reader. The journalist should always state, close to the picture, whether it has been altered by montage or retouching. This also applies to such material when it is filed.

2.7 A journalist must hold the right of reply as a cardinal rule of practice by allowing people in the news opportunity to respond promptly to the issues raised.

2.8 In the course of duty, a journalist should strive to separate facts from conjecture and comment,” (Emphases ours)

 9.0 OUR FINDINGS

Contrary to Daily Trust newspaper’s reporting, the NMCC finds that the 403-page Samoa Agreement does not in fact contain any clause that compels underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition, as a condition for getting financial and other supports from advanced nations.  Indeed, there is no reference whatsoever in the Agreement to the issue of LGBTQ.

The issue was apparently referenced in an earlier version of the Agreement, going by a Briefing document on the Agreement prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) for the members and staff of the European Parliament as background material at the end of 2023, where it was noted that sexual and reproductive health and rights and migration were among the issues on which it was most difficult for the negotiators of the document to reach an agreement and that “some ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) States were reluctant to see the foundation agreement mention sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBTI rights) – an issue on which there are also differences among EU Member States.”

The Briefing document also acknowledged that several newspapers had reported that “prior to the signing of the agreement in Samoa, several African and Caribbean CSOs called on their governments not to sign the agreement, fearing that it might lead to modifying domestic laws, in particular to endorse LGBTI rights”. It added that as a matter of compromise, the text was modified such that the parties would only “commit to the implementation of existing international agreements – notably the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the Beijing Platform on gender equality and their follow-up.”

The Briefing document explicitly acknowledged that this “wording however falls short of the EU negotiators’ ambitions.” Accordingly, there was no reference at all to LGBTI rights in the final Agreement that Nigeria signed, much less its being made a condition for support to underdeveloped or developing countries.

It was, therefore, inaccurate and wrong for the Daily Trust to state in its reporting that the agreement contained clauses compelling underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by LGBTQ community, especially also in the light of the fact that it noted in the same news report of July 4, 2024 that when the newspaper contacted Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, media assistant to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, it was clearly told that “nowhere in the documents (Agreement) were LGBTQ or same sex marriage mentioned even remotely”.  Given this rebuttal of the thrust of the news story, since the Daily Trust had apparently decided to go ahead with its reporting as borne out by its publication, and had evidence to the contrary, the newspaper should have said so in its report and cited the relevant portion or portions of the Samoa Agreement to back up this assertion.

Whilst the Daily Trust may be commended for its healthy interest in a story of national and global importance as provided for in Article 2.5 and 2.7 of the Code of Ethics, the same cannot be said for its performance with respect to the other provisions of the relevant portions of the Code, namely Article: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.8.

Accordingly, we find that the article complained about was not factual, accurate, balanced, and fair, and therefore, violated Article 2.1 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022.

The Daily Trust report of July 4, 2024, also flouted Article 2.2. The plea that it was unsure of the version of the Samoa Agreement signed by the federal government cannot avail it, as the Daily Trust did not advance any argument that it sought for a copy of the signed Samoa Agreement from the Complainant, and it was denied, nor did its reporting indicate that it independently sourced it before its publication of July 4, 2024. The Daily Trust also did not present to the NMCC any version of the Samoa Agreement that supported the assertions contained in its July 4, 2024 story on the issue.  On the contrary, the copy of the Samoa Agreement submitted to the NMCC by the Daily Trust is the same version of the Agreement submitted by the Federal Government, which contained no reference whatsoever to the issue of LGBTQ. In this regard, the article was hasty, inaccurate, and misleading, contrary to the due diligence that Article 2.2 prescribes. Even after being informed of the inaccuracy and misleading nature of the report, the Daily Trust failed to promptly publish a correction.

We find that the Daily Trust violated Article 2.3 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022 as it did not discharge its duty to report as accurately as possible.

To the extent that the Daily Trust did not make any appreciable effort to establish the relevant facts in its reporting and seemed to substitute the opinions of its sources for the facts, we find that it breached Article 2.8 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022.

Overall, the reporting offered by the Daily Trust fell short of the standards expected in the journalism profession as contained in the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists. We also find that its reporting on such a subject with significant sensitivity in Nigeria was below its acclaimed professional standard. It should not have taken more than two months for the Daily Trust to determine that its action was blameworthy and take remedial steps in accordance with the requirements of the 2022 Revised Code of Conduct for Nigerian Journalists.

To the Complainant, we have come to the conclusion that this controversy could have been avoided if the government had been more forthcoming on the Samoa Agreement by proactively announcing to the Nigerian people that the Federal Government had signed the Agreement as well as explaining the essentials, implications and benefits of the Agreement to the country and to the Nigerian people shortly after it signed the document.

Transparency and accountability are crucial aspects of the democratic process, including for the purpose of earning and enjoying public trust. It would certainly have helped to inform the public about the Agreement much earlier with copies of it made publicly available for those who are interested in more details to access and read. Such an approach would have helped in avoiding the attendant conjectures and speculations, which become inevitable when the people feel that they have been denied the right to know.

In this digital age, the lesson here should be that proactivity in information dissemination across all offices of the government and all tiers of government on matters of public interest is a non-negotiable element of democratic governance. The government and all its institutions have an obligation to abolish the prevailing culture of secrecy in governance, as it gives the impression that government holds its citizens in contempt. Instead, the government should take deliberate steps to create a knowledge society and bring about the emergence of an informed and active citizenry.

10.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

In the light of the above, the NMCC directs that the Daily Trust newspaper takes appropriate remedial action and, in particular, do the following:

1. Accept without equivocation that its reporting on the issue in question was inaccurate and misleading as its treatment of the report showed a lapse in news judgement and fell short of the expected standards of the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists.
2. Publish an apology prominently in both the print and online editions of the Daily Trust.
3. Take the necessary internal editorial measures to prevent a future occurrence.
4. Publish the report of the NMCC in this matter within seven days of receiving it.

11. CONCLUSION

The NMCC commends the Complainant and the Respondent for submitting themselves to the co-regulatory mechanism offered by the National Media Complaints Commission. The Commission remains committed to providing the public with an independent forum for resolving complaints about the media, resolving all complaints speedily and fairly, with a view to maintaining high standards of journalism practice and journalistic ethics, and defending the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

Eluem Emeka Izeze, FNGE

Chairman, NMCC

NMCC MEMBERS

2. A. B. Mahmoud, SAN – Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association
3. Chinyere Stella Okunna, FNGE – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Paul University, Awka, Anambra State
4. Lanre Idowu, FNGE – Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Limited, Trustee, Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME)
5. Edetaen Ojo – Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
6. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE – Journalist, Lawyer, and Arbitrator
7. Eugenia Abu – Broadcaster, Author, Columnist, and Managing Partner/CEO, Eugenia Abu Media
8. Hussain Abdu – Development & Humanitarian Specialist, Country Director, Care International (Nigeria)

Feyi Smith – Interim Secretary

About the National Media Complaints Commission:

The National Media Complaints Commission (The Ombudsman) is an independent, multi-stakeholder co-regulatory body established by the Nigerian Press Organizations (NPO), made up of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in collaboration with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON). The body is tasked with providing the public with an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press; resolving all complaints quickly, fairly and free of charge; maintaining high standards of journalism practice and journalistic ethics; and defending the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

The post FG vs Daily Trust: Ombudsman’s full report on Samoa Agreement appeared first on Frontpageng.

The ombudsman made this known on Monday in a press statement signed by its chairman, Mr. Eluem Emeka Izeze, and interim secretary, Mr. Feyi Smith.

FrontPage reports that the federal government alleged that the news story published on July 4, 2024 contains “false and misleading information that severely threatens national security.”

The petition dated July 8, 2024 is signed by Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, on behalf of Information Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.

The federal government claimed that the newspaper, in the news story, indicated that the government endorsed a European Union (EU) partnership agreement (referred to as the “Samoa Agreement”) with member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), despite some conditional clauses that compel benefitting nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition.

The ombudsman said the federal government hinged its petition on the allegation that the “false and misleading” information had subjected individuals and government officials to “hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying across social media.”

The government said following the attacks the report had caused, the federal government considered the intervention of the NMCC necessary.

READ ALSO: IG suspends e-CMR enforcement scheduled for July 29

It therefore sought the NMCC to, among other things, carry out a thorough investigation of the alleged misleading publication; direct the newspaper’s management to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information, with equal prominence as the original article, and direct the newspaper’s management to issue an unequivocal apology for allegedly recklessly disseminating false information.

In addition, the federal government sought the ombudsman to “implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent a repeat of such alleged unwholesome reports by any newspaper in the future.”

The NMCC following the petition, said it had sent a formal acknowledgement letter dated July 10, 2024 and signed by its Interim Secretary, Mr. Feyi Smith, to the ministry, informing it that the complaint was receiving the attention of the Commission, and that the outcome would be duly communicated to the government.

It stated that the management of Daily Trust would be contacted shortly for its response in the course of the investigation.

The NMCC added that “as an independent media regulatory body, it is our duty to promote media adherence to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct, as well as ensure that the media operate in a free and unfettered environment.”

It assured members of the public that “with this mandate and our established procedures, we have commenced an investigation into the government’s allegations. We assure the public that our inquiry will be thorough and impartial. We look forward to receiving the full cooperation of all parties involved and pledge to continue to ensure transparency throughout this process.”

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The jump in pump price of fuel and devaluation of naira in a bid to close the gap between the bank and parallel market rates meant higher transportation cost, higher food price and higher cost of doing business for small business owners.

There is no doubt that the people, most especially the poor,  are hard pressed and seeking succour from a president who promised them a better life during his electioneering campaign.

The pain, albeit uncomfortable, is only temporary; but necessary. From the President’s most recent national broadcast, one thing stands out, our beloved country, Nigeria, is simply in a catch-22 situation. The President must find the most pragmatic way to deal with the two ugly elephants in the room that have distorted our economy for decades, promoted humongous corruption via rent seeking and has kept the poor, even poorer.

We are all bearing the consequences of decades of distortions and mismanagement of the country and it certainly won’t be easy to turn the tides within few days and months for any government.

For over seven years, Nigeria has consistently held the appalling title of the poverty capital of the world, according to the World Bank, overtaking India with a population of about 1.5 billion people. Nigeria’s population is only a little over 200 million.

Nigeria has, in the last 40 years, progressively wasted trillions of naira that would have been better spent on social services, human capital development and critical economic infrastructure that should support productivity and growth to give citizens cheap fuel. The culmination of these has, no doubt, stunted the growth of the nation and its people.

We must deal with the albatross of continuously funding fuel subsidy, which only a small group of people benefit from at the expense of the larger populace, even when our country is teetering towards fiscal collapse.  Rational and economic logic and equity dictate that those trillions of naira be put to better use in the service of the people. It is highly imperative to re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care and other productive ventures that will materially improve the lives of millions, as the President said in his inaugural speech.

Having seen the distortions fuel subsidy and preferential foreign exchange policy have caused for the country, I am persuaded that we must get out of this decades-long conundrum. From a fiscal standpoint, the consequences of retaining these policies longer than when it was finally removed by President are not pretty. The social and material condition of the poor masses that some ideologues pretend to be fighting against will get worse than it currently is if Nigeria sinks into a bottomless pit.

In pandering to popular sentiments, two major national newspapers in their recent editorial positions severely criticized President Tinubu for taking this less travelled road. Leaders before him only kicked the can around, in matters of fuel subsidy removal, without having the boldness and the courage to bite the bullet.

In a front page commentary on Monday, July 24, Daily Trust Newspaper called for the reversal of the subsidy removal because it is strangulating the poor masses.

The newspaper also accused the government of chaotic handling of the policy because all the issues around palliatives should have first been resolved. Daily Trust wants the Federal Government to keep the ruinous subsidy regime because of momentary inconvenience without regards to the fact that within two months of this removal, the country saved over ₦1 trillion which would now be better utilized to benefit the masses directly.

Toeing the same path with Daily Trust on same day, Punch Newspaper charged President Tinubu to change course before he “loses the plot” of his new administration. Punch Newspaper went further to berate him for executing the two policies on whims without undertaking “a critical assessment of the economy nor the implications of his hasty subsidy removal, and the unification of the naira exchange rates.”

What I found rather bizarre in the Punch Editorial was a quote credited to Mr. Francis Meshioye, President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, who reportedly said his members thought subsidy removal would only lead to a one-off price increase and not “a skyrocketing one.”

I am at a loss why a MAN President who was one of the strident advocates of free market economy and a major proponent of fuel subsidy removal and unification of multiple exchange rates think his prescriptions will only lead to one-off price increase. I am still struggling with that level of contradiction. It also didn’t matter to Daily Trust and The Punch Newspapers with their editorial stance that, in the past, they used their influential platforms to call for the removal of the subsidy, citing abuse and corruption.

The points of current pains on the people as canvassed by the two newspapers as a necessary fallout of the policy decisions of President are factual and can’t be argued against. However, the point must also be made that the benefits of these two decisions far outweigh the cost.

Fuel subsidy removal means that Nigeria will no longer lose over ₦4 billion daily on subsidised fuel that is smuggled to neigbouring countries. It does not make sense that a country that is struggling to provide universal basic education to her children and suffering from high maternal mortality rate spent ₦21 trillion subsidising fuel that added marginal value to the lives of millions of its poor inhabitants between 2005 and 2023.

READ ALSO: EXTRA: President Tinubu has good speechwriters

A recent report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) shows that whereas ₦13.7 trillion was spent on subsidy between 2005 and 2021, ₦8 trillion was spent between 2022 and the first half of 2023 alone.

Nothing captures our sorry state of affairs more than the NEITI report which indicates the colossal sum that private individuals have taken away from our commonwealth on the back of payment for subsidy. The report shows that in 2005, starting year for the survey, ₦351 billion was spent on fuel subsidy payment while the figures for 2006-2010 were ₦257 billion, ₦272 billion, ₦631 billion, ₦469 billion and ₦667 billion. In 2011, which was an election year, spending spiked to a whopping ₦2.3 trillion.

For the years 2012-2017, spending on subsidy was ₦1.36 trillion; ₦1.32 trillion; ₦1.2 trillion, ₦654 billion, ₦240 billion and ₦154 billion. From 2018 to the first half of 2023 government spent ₦1.1 trillion; ₦508 billion; ₦864 billion ₦1.43 trillion, ₦4.4 trillion and ₦3.6 trillion. The NEITI report further reveals that spending on petroleum products by the five income groups in Nigeria, the richest 20 per cent consumes 75 per cent of petrol in the country while the poorest 20 per cent consumes just one per cent of the product. From the figures, it is obvious our poorest people are not getting any real benefit.

Removing the drain pipe is the best way to stop the bleeding. Individuals should not become so filthily wealthy at the expense of a nation to the point of being in a position to compromise all the institutions of state while the majority wallow in extreme poverty. President Tinubu was right in his Monday evening broadcast when he pointed out the danger of having few people who have amassed so much money to the extent of becoming “a serious threat to the fairness of national economy and the integrity of our democratic governance.”

At the moment, our country is at the epoch where the citizens must exercise some patience and cooperate with the President and his team to turn around the fortunes of the country.

With his boldness and decisiveness, President Tinubu ushered in a regime of deregulation. This will foster competition and transparency in the downstream sector, eliminate NNPCL importation monopoly, encourage investments in local refining capacity and expansion of downstream infrastructure that will create thousands of jobs. From the Central Bank records, 30% of foreign exchange demand in the past decades was for fuel importation. The removal of fuel subsidy is a good silver lining that will catalyze more investments in local refining. Already Dangote Refinery will soon come on stream and BUA Group is making a bet of over $8 billion on 200,000 barrel per day refinery in Akwa-Ibom that will be commissioned within the next 4 years. This is apart from existing modular refineries already in operation.

At the moment, our country is at the epoch where the citizens must exercise some patience and cooperate with the President and his team to turn around the fortunes of the country. We are all bearing the consequences of decades of distortions and mismanagement of the country and it certainly won’t be easy to turn the tides within few days and months for any government. The demand of this period is not needless posturing but that of concerted efforts and determination to revamp an economy that is tail spinning into a disaster.

As President Tinubu concluded in his speech, he is back at work to ensure that not only that a looming disaster will be averted but Nigerians will have cause to be happy with the new, inclusive economy based on prosperity for all that is his campaign promise.

*Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

The post Tinubu, Nigeria and the fuel subsidy albatross, By Temitope Ajayi appeared first on Frontpageng.

The CBN made the denial on Thursday in a statement by Isa AbdulMumin, CBN Acting Director, Corporate Communications.

The CBN was reacting to a viral news that it had devalued the Naira from about N465 to N630 to a dollar.

“The attention of the CBN has been drawn to a news report by Daily Trust Newspaper of June 1, titled ‘CBN Devalues Naira to 630/one dollar’.

“We wish to state categorically that this news report, which in the imagination of the newspaper, is replete with outright falsehoods and destabilising innuendos,” he said.

According to AbdulMumin, the report reflected the potentially willful ignorance of the media organisation as to the workings of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the exchange rate at the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I&E) window traded this morning June 1, at N465/one dollar and has been stable around this rate for a while.

“The public is hereby advised to ignore the news report by Daily Trust in its entirety, as it is speculative and calculated at causing panic in the market.

“Media practitioners are advised to verify their facts from the CBN before publishing in order not to misinform the public,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The executive vice chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, made this assertion on Monday while hosting the management of Media Trust Group, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Mounir Haliru Gwarzo.

He said the commission would continue to seek ways to expand its collaboration with the media as critical stakeholders.

Danbatta expressed satisfaction at the rate media organisations were adopting digitization and contributing through awareness and adoption of digital culture while assuring that NCC would strengthen its existing cordial relations with the media and its propagation of the notion of “instant society” where delivery of information is at great speed.

“We will expand the relationship with the media to leverage new and exciting opportunities. We count on every important interface that the media provides for the NCC. We wouldn’t have been able to do this job and succeed without the support of the media. We always use the media to provide information to the public because you have what it takes to reach out. We don’t have that reach. So, we appreciate the very important work that the media is doing.

“The media organizations are at the forefront of providing information about where to find the knowledge. When you read the media, you come across instances of references as to where knowledge can be accessed and used for different purposes,” he said.

READ ALSO: NCC sets up committee to aid broadband infrastructure deployment

Danbatta assured the Daily Trust Group, owners of Daily Trust Newspapers, Trust TV and Aminiya, a multimedia digital platform, that the commission reckoned with the credibility of the Group, and that their ingenious performance was seen in the ways the media entity had diversified service delivery.

He explained that the commission prioritizes consumer engagement at the grassroots, which, he said, had made it to initiate outreach programmes delivered in indigenous languages to bring information to the doorsteps of consumers.

Leader of the Trust Group delegation, Gwarzo, said the visit was prompted by the need to commend the commission on its sterling accomplishments and assured that Media Trust, through its publications, was ready to strengthen its relationship with the commission as part of its support for the digital economy agenda of government.

He also applauded NCC’s achievements, including the successful rollout of Fifth Generation, 5G, services while explaining that the technology would also bolster the type of speed required for simultaneous multi-location printing of the that Daily Trust newspapers across its operations in several parts of the country.

Gwarzo was accompanied to NCC by many staff of the Media Trust Group, including Group Executive Director Finance and Corporate Services, Nura Mamma Daura; Chief Operating Officer, Trust Television, Ibrahim Shehu Adamu; Head, Business Development, Naomi Adaghebalu Esezobor; and Benjamin Hon, Head, Market Research and Intelligence.

The post How media earned the respect of NCC –Danbatta appeared first on Frontpageng.

Presenting the award in Calabar, Mr Osemudiamen Ogbidi, the Programme Officer of the foundation, said it was in recognition of the reporter’s bravery and commitment to journalism profession.

According to him, the foundation decided to recognise the correspondent in view of his recent encounter with the former Minister for Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, during a press conference in Calabar.

“Mr Eyo is a symbol of a true journalist who suffers undue oppression in the hands of the privileged in the cause of performing his duties.

“He was insulted, humiliated and downgraded just for asking a simple question. That is why we are here to honour him and to encourage him and other journalists not to give up.

“Gone are the days when people referred to lawyers as the hope of the common man. Today journalists are the hope of the common man,” he said.

He urged the correspondent to continue with his exploits in journalism and encouraged others to emulate him.

The foundation also presented an award to the Chairman of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Victor Udu.

Responding, Charles thanked the foundation for the award, saying that he least expected it.

He described the insult and abuse meted out to him by the former minister as unfortunate, adding that he did not mean to embarrass him.

“But I have since forgiven him,” Charles said.

He commended the management of Daily Trust, the President of NUJ as well as the union in the 36 states of the federation and the media for their show of solidarity.

The reporter added that the award would spur him to work harder.

Source: NAN

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According to the council, Mr. Demola Babalola, who spoke with FrontPage in an interview, there had not been any directive from the NUJ at the national level to the effect that Fani-Kayode’s programme could be given coverage.

Recall that Fani-Kayode had at a press conference held in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, recently, described a Daily Trust reporter, Mr. Eyo Charles, as stupid for asking who bankrolled his project tour of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, controlled state.

Fani-Kayode who was widely condemned for his action had however apologised to Charles and the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

In continuation of his tour, he arrived Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and planned to address a press conference but the state council of NUJ directed its members not to attend.

Speaking with our correspondent, the chairman of the Oyo State council of the NUJ said it would be too early to start attending his press conference as there had not been any instruction to that effect.

Said Babalola: “We think he should do the right thing by meeting the Daily Trust management in Abuja one on one, and the leadership of the NUJ in Abuja one on one.  The NUJ leadership should also send circular to the state councils that they should start covering his programmes and press conferences.  I think until that is done… We have to be careful.

“There was a press statement issued on his case when the incident happened. Now that he has apologised, if they want us to start covering him, they should issue a circular to that effect. That will go a long way in addressing the issue.”

The post Why we’re boycotting Fani-Kayode’s conference despite apology –Oyo NUJ appeared first on Frontpageng.

“I disappointed myself, my family and friends, my colleagues and even my bosses, those who hold me in high esteem,” he said at a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.

Recall that Fani-Kayode at a press conference in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, described Charles as “stupid” for asking who was “bankrolling” his tour.

The attack was widely condemned by the public with journalists launching attacks on him in return.

Some of the unions also resolved to give Fani-Kayode a black out in the media.

Apparently overwhelmed by the total attack on him, he caved in and on Friday apologised to Charles just as he expressed regrets over his action.

Said Fani-Kayode: “I’m deeply sorry for the manner I reacted to the said reporter. I was too hard on him. The question was mischievous, but I fell for it.

“I should have been smarter than that. I am using this opportunity to reach out to him, and I hope he will be kind enough to forgive me. I disappointed myself, my family and friends, my colleagues and even my bosses, those who hold me in high esteem.

“I have regrets, it was not my finest day. No leader or public figure should ever react like that. I disappointed myself. I deeply regret it and I believe it will never happen again.”

The post I disappointed myself, my family, my friends – Fani-Kayode appeared first on Frontpageng.

I watched the video of where Fani-Kayode gave a dressing-down to a journalist who asked him an innocuous question which “the Almighty” found irritating and pesky, “Who is bankrolling your tour?” That was it! Femi emptied the content of his pugnacious buccal cavity on the journalist. He called him stupid and expended minutes chopping the reporter to insignificant bits.

Femi said he had a ‘’short fuse’’ and asked the reporter to size him up because – ‘’…I am a former minister, lawyer…. Who do you think you are talking to?’’

Femi’s diatribe: “Do you know who you are talking to? What type of insulting question is that? Which bankroll, to do what? Who can give me money for anything? Who do you think you are talking to? Go and report yourself to your publisher. I could see from your face before you got here, how stupid you are. Don’t ever talk to me like that. Who do you think you’re talking to? Bankroll who? You think I am one of those ones you… from who, when, how? You have a small mind, very small mind.”

Obasanjo once said: “Femi is my boy. If you give him food, he will sing for you?’’

“Who is bankrolling your tour?’’ The non-toxic question that bled Femi’s poison. Femi is not a disguisable character for integrity. He is notorious in political circles as a mercenary who can serve anyone and any purpose as long as his belly gets filled. His former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he turned against after Goodluck Jonathan picked him up to wait at the table, put a stamp of affirmation on Femi’s devious constitution.

Obasanjo once said: “Femi is my boy. If you give him food, he will sing for you?’’

Femi was vicious on former president Jonathan – not until he was appointed to be the spokesman of the re-election campaign of the former president. But he spoke Jonathan to defeat in 2015.

Recently, Femi embarked on a PR tour of PDP states. He travelled to Zamfara where the governor treated him to the niceties of princes. The former minister who is a known adversary of the north – as his writings and public statements show – geared into duplicity afterwards untamed by his pursuit of pleasures.

He once put the trouble with Nigeria on the pouch of the Igbo. In his article of August 2013, ‘’The bitter truth about the Igbo’’, Femi wrote of his intimate congress with the wife of the late Odumegwu Ojukwu — an extraneous piece of information that he divulged to spite the Igbo.

He did not camouflage his bigotry and hate for the Igbo. But he started cantillating different when the Buhari administration came to power. He needed alliances from the south-east to confront the ‘’northern government’’ which pulled him to court on allegations of corruption. He became an abetting voice, albeit hypocritical, against the perceived grievances of the region. Not that he really cared about Ndi Igbo, but in President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi and a few Igbo politicians displaced from the dining table, found a common enemy.

Femi lives only for himself. He is vacant of character and principles. He stands for nothing and falls for everything as long as he gets fed.

Femi lives only for himself. He is vacant of character and principles. He stands for nothing and falls for everything as long as he gets fed. It is in this context that the question (who is bankrolling your tour?) of the journalist to Femi, should be situated. Why was he so incensed by the question? He could have simply torpedoed whatever the insinuations on the tour are with an intelligent and polite answer. Perhaps, he felt he was being ratted out? His outburst busts his pretensions.

Femi is critical of anyone who does not favour him, and his approach to opposition is both savage and irrational. He once called Buhari “an evil tyrant”. But it is clear; the politician would have been a more ruthless tyrant if was sitting on the throne. He pleasures himself insulting other people, but he brooks no opposition. He can throw blows, but cannot take them. That is the making of an aboriginal tyrant.

However, Nigerian journalists must redeem themselves from the curse of “brown envelopes”. Journalism is a noble profession, deserving of respect. Some journalists act like peasants before politicians for crumbs. So, naturally, they cannot stand up to them. But what is journalism when journalists are afraid of asking critical questions? We have to redeem ourselves. The profession is fast losing dignity and appeal.

*Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist (Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo)

The post What if Femi Fani-Kayode, Mr Short Fuse, was Buhari? By Fredrick Nwabufo appeared first on Frontpageng.