The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged international media outlets to adhere to the principles of fairness, accuracy, and objectivity in their reporting on issues concerning Nigeria.
Idris made the statement when he received a delegation from British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in his office on Thursday.
In a statement by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Minister said while the policy thrust of the Tinubu Administration remains upholding the freedom of the press, the government expects the international media organisations to express due diligence in their reportage.
Idris emphasised the importance of balanced and unbiased reporting and highlighted that while Nigeria, like any other country, faces challenges, it is crucial for the international media to provide a complete and nuanced portrayal, rather than focusing solely on negative aspects.
“We will also urge you to continue to balance your stories to hear our own side of the story. It’s not only bad things that come out of Nigeria, there are a lot of good things and I’m sure your correspondents on ground would have seen that we have a lot of positive things that we are doing in this country and there is a gradual progression towards prosperity that we are seeing.
“I want to share with you the commitment of the Nigerian government to every news gathering organisation. Our commitment is that we want to stay as focussed and unbiased and as free as possible,” he said.
The Minister acknowledged that the Nigerian government has not received any reports concerning the harassment of journalists working for international media outlets in the country.
“The thrust of the policy of the Tinubu administration is that every news organization has the freedom to practice the profession and am happy you didn’t report to us any of your staff, who has been molested or under any kind of pressure from the Nigerian government,” he said.
Idris commended the foresight of the BBC in moving the studio of the Hausa Service from London to Abuja, where the audience and the markets are, stressing that the brilliant initiative has led to the engagement of about 200 Nigerians working for the BBC across the country.
The minister expressed his pleasure in the enduring trust and mutual respect between the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Nigerian audience, a relationship that has remained strong for almost six decades.
“The Nigerian people are actually partners with the BBC and this partnership goes back several decades and that commitment to what we hear on the BBC and the respect and trust our people have, have been largely unbroken for the last five to six decades,” he said.
He saluted the BBC for embarking of capacity building for some journalists working for the public media organizations and appealed to the British broadcaster to extend similar gesture to the private media outlets.
In his remarks, the Director, Global News and Deputy CEO of the BBC, Mr. Jonathan Munro, who is in Nigeria for the first time, said he is highly delighted by the reputation of the BBC in the country.
He said the BBC has expanded into multimedia platforms in Nigeria and it’s now broadcasting in Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba to reach the country diverse audiences.
Mr. Munro, who described Nigeria as a global power, said about 30 million people visit the news services of the BBC in Nigeria every week, making Nigeria the third international marketing audience for the BBC after USA and India.
Mr. Munro was accompanied by the Head of West African Languages, Ehizojie Okharadia; Head of News gathering for Africa, Juliet Njeri and the Head of BBC Hausa, Aliyu Tanko.
