Nigeria assures U.S. on press freedom

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has reassured the United States of America’s unwavering commitment to the fundamental principles of press freedom.

Idris said this when he received the United States’ Charge d’Affaires to Nigeria, Mr. David Greene, who paid him a courtesy visit.

This is a statement signed by Idris’ Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim, and made available to the newsmen on Wednesday.

The minister stressed that press freedom is pivotal in fostering a vibrant democracy and transparency in governance.

“While we are for press freedom, we also want to call on the government of the United States to support efforts at instituting best practises in the media space, particularly fact-checking mechanisms towards reducing the spate of misinformation, fake news, and malinformation."

The Minister also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, saying it is important for the United States, as a key ally, to deepen support for the Tinubu-led administration and its efforts towards the reengineering of the Nigerian economy on the strength of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He further explained that the Renewed Hope Agenda focuses on food security, poverty eradication, growth, job creation, access to capital, social inclusion, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption.

“President Tinubu has since hit the ground running in his quest to attract foreign investments through his physical presence at various economic forums and engagements with business leaders and key stakeholders.

“First was in Paris for the Summit on the New Global Financing Pact, followed by the G20 Summit in India, and the recently concluded Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh.

“As you well know, President Tinubu is in Berlin, Germany, to attend the G20 Compact with Africa Conference, in furtherance of his determination to retool the Nigerian economy through strategic partnership,” Idris said.

Speaking earlier Greene said the United States is fully behind Nigeria’s democracy and is supportive of its media growth through the offer of consistent training over the years.

He added that Nigeria is a critical partner in regional security and economic development.