Samoa Agreement: Coalition lauds Nigerian govt for reporting Daily Trust to Ombudsman

The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) commends the decision of the Federal Government to report Daily Trust Newspaper to the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman, over its grievances about a report of the newspaper on the recently signed Samoa agreement.

According to a Premium Times report, the minister of information, Mohammed Idris, said while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, July 11th, that the federal government had written to the ombudsman to complain about the Daily Trust Newspaper story which he described as a misleading report.

The National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman, is a nine-member commission with members drawn from the media, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the academia, and civil society and chaired by a former managing director of Guardian Newspaper, Emeka Izeze. It was launched in 2023 to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content in Nigeria.

The NMCC serves as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press, ensuring maintenance of high standards of Nigerian journalism and journalists’ ethics; and defending the freedom of the press and the right of the people to know.

CWPPF views the decision of the federal government to follow the appropriate complaint submission procedure of reporting the newspaper to the NMCC as a welcome development and a step in the right direction.

The decision of the federal government signifies a step in entrenching the vision of the coalition of a freer and safer environment for journalists to operate.

We urge all individuals and organisations, public and private, to take advantage of the NMCC to report grievances against journalists and media organisations rather than resorting to using security agencies to attack the press.

We equally urge the NMCC to adhere to its mandate of conducting thorough investigations into all complaints received and ensuring appropriate disciplinary measures for any journalist or media organisation that errs.

Signed: CWPPF Secretariat

For

CWPPF Members:

1. Premium Times
2. Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation
3. Daily Trust Newspaper
4. International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)
5. Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
6. Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
7. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
8. Civic Media Lab
9. Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC)
10. International Press Centre (IPC)
11. International Press Institute (IPI)
12. Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
13. Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
14. Paradigm Initiative
15. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
16. HEDA Resources Centre.
17. WikkiTimes
18. Global Rights
19. Dataphyte Foundation
20. Accountability Lab Nigeria
21. FOLEGAL
22. Women Radio 91.7 FM
23. Inibehe Effiong Chambers
24. BUK TV & RADIO
25. The Jurist Newspaper Limited
26. Freedom Radio, Kano
27. Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice
28. Enough is Enough, Nigeria (EIE)