FG debunks reports on Nigerian journalist in detention

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has debunked a report by the Press Freedom Organization, Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) that a certain Nigerian journalist has been in detention for the past two years.

The minister issued the rebuttal at the Gala/Award night of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Abuja on Friday, a statement by his assistant, Segun Adeyemi, said.

Alhaji Lai said the person the CPJ was referring to was never a journalist.

“Let me state here, without equivocating, that contrary to the report by the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), no journalist is in detention in Nigeria. Clement Abiri, who is being referred to as a journalist, is not one. He does not belong to any chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists. He was arrested for pipeline vandalism and crude theft, including militant activities in the Niger Delta,” he said.

The IPI Executive Board Chair, John Yearwood, on Thursday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the release of Clement Abiri, who he said had disappeared about two years ago and was believed to be held by the Department of State Security (DSS).

Yearwood spoke shortly before Buhari declared open 2018 International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking Friday, Alhaji Lai restated the commitment of the present administration to press freedom and gave the assurance that the media has nothing to fear under the present dispensation.

“In my opening comments at the 2016 IPI Congress in Doha, I said we as a government view the media as a partner. That remains true. I also said the media in Nigeria has nothing to fear from this administration, and that - if anything - we as a government are the ones who have to fear the media. Also, that has not changed.

“’We are proud that the Nigerian media is one of the most vibrant in the world. We are proud of the role that the Nigerian media has played in our long march to democratic governance. This administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for journalists to function unmolested,” he said.

While speaking on the theme of the 67th IPI World Congress, which is “Why Good Journalism Matters,” the Minister said apart from alerting the government to the indispensable role of the media in the society, it reminds it of the purpose of journalism which is to serve all citizens in a democratic society and to tell the truth.

“If we all agree about this obligation, then it behoves the media to tell the truth, not just to power, but to the people, making it easier for them to get the facts in the right context, thus facilitating their decision-making process. But in an era of growing cases of fake news and disinformation, can we still say the media - whether traditional or new - is living true to this dictum? If the answer is no, what does this portend for the profession in particular and the society in general? I am sure this congress is examining the issue critically in the course of its deliberations,” he said.

Alhaji Lai appealed to the media to always report the government in the right context in order to give the people the opportunity to make informed decisions.

He said the present administration has kept its promise to fight corruption, tackle insecurity and revamp the economy.