"The federal government insists that that report on the Samoa agreement was misleading, it was false and designed to create confusion in the land."
The Nigerian government has formally written to the Nigerian media ombudsman to complain about a Daily Trust report on the Samoa Agreement.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, stated this on Wednesday while addressing reporters in Abuja at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.
"The federal government insists that that report on the Samoa agreement was misleading, it was false and designed to create confusion in the land.
"My ministry briefed the Federal Executive Council on all the steps we have taken, including writing to the industry's own ombudsman with a view to drawing the attention of Daily Trust Newspaper about that very misleading report," Mr Idris said. "We expect that the industry's ombudsman will look at that dispassionately and FEC will be patient to await the report of the ombudsman."
Daily Trust newspaper had claimed in its report that the Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian government in June included clauses that mandated Nigeria to support the rights of the LGBTQ community.
The Nigerian government, however, denied that the agreement had any such clause and a fact-check by PREMIUM TIMES showed that while the European Union initially wanted the clause included, the final version signed by Nigeria and other countries had no such agreement.
In his speech on Wednesday, Mr Idris said the Bola Tinubu administration is approaching the ombudsman because it is committed to press freedom while opposed to falsehood.
"FEC also stated its commitment to media freedom and the freedom of expression in this country. As we have said over time, there is no intention whatsoever for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to gag the press or be seen in any way working in the way of media freedom or press freedom."
The minister concluded that the government is committed to ensuring that the media will continue to operate in an environment that is very friendly and supportive of their work as a strong pillar for the continuous enthronement of democracy in our land.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, who also briefed journalists, echoed a similar view as Mr Idris.
He said the administration will not tamper with press freedom particularly because the president "has been an ardent supporter and believer in press freedom."
"He is conscious of that, not only press freedom, but fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution," Mr Fagbemi added.
Background
The Samoa Agreement is the legal framework for the European Union's relations with 79 countries. The countries involved in the deal are mostly from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific countries.
Daily Trust newspaper reported that the Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian government in June included clauses that mandated Nigeria to support the rights of the LGBTQ community.
The Nigerian government denied the claim and threatened to sue the newspaper.
The newspaper then acknowledged that the report had some lapses and promised to review and take appropriate measures.
"We have followed with attention what these government officials said and left unsaid, and we will publish that in full for the records. 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," Daily Trust said in a subsequent report.
Reps wade in
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives resolved that the government should suspend the implementation of the Agreement and directed its committees to investigate the alleged "controversial and grey areas".
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That resolution followed a motion jointly moved by Aliyu Madaki (NNPP, Kano) and 88 others on Tuesday.
However, hours after the resolution, the House, through its spokesperson, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), issued a statement, saying the House did not call for the suspension of the implementation of the Agreement.
In the statement, Mr Rotimi claimed that the "media erroneously" reported the outcome of the debate on the Samoa Agreement.
"It is important to clarify that the House of Representatives did not resolve to call for the suspension of the Agreement nor the suspension of its implementation, as has been erroneously reported by some media houses.
"Instead, the House resolved to thoroughly scrutinise the Samoa Partnership Agreement for all contentious clauses through legislative hearings," the statement reads in part.
