The Federal Government has lodged a complaint against Daily Trust Newspapers with the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), also known as the Ombudsman, regarding its coverage of the Samoa agreement.
A statement released by NMCC on Sunday confirmed receipt of the government’s complaint and announced that an investigation into the matter is underway.
According to the statement signed by Mr. Emeka Izeze and Mr. Feyi Smith, Chairman and Interim Secretary of NMCC respectively, the complaint dated July 8 was submitted by Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, on behalf of Minister Mohammed Idris.
The government alleges that on July 4, 2024, Daily Trust published an article containing “false and misleading information that severely threatens national security.”
The complaint asserts that the newspaper’s front-page story titled ‘LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal’ inaccurately reported that the 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).
The government contends that the report is misleading, stating that the agreement included conditional clauses requiring beneficiary nations to support LGBTQ community recognition efforts.
The statement quoted the government’s concern that the publication led to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying against individuals and government officials across social media platforms.
The NMCC has been called upon by the government to intervene in the matter, urging the Ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged misleading publication.
It also seeks a public retraction and correction of the false information by Daily Trust, accompanied by an unequivocal apology of equal prominence.
Furthermore, the government requests the NMCC to enforce stricter editorial guidelines to prevent similar incidents in the future by any newspaper.
In response, the NMCC acknowledged the government’s complaint and confirmed that it has initiated an investigation into the allegations.
It assured transparency and impartiality throughout the process and emphasized its commitment to upholding the highest standards of journalistic ethics and media professionalism.
The NMCC operates independently as a multi-stakeholder co-regulatory body established by the Nigerian Press Organisations (NPO), in collaboration with various media associations including the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).
Its mandate includes providing an impartial forum for resolving public complaints about the press, ensuring journalism adheres to ethical standards, and defending press freedom while upholding the public’s right to information.
