The National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC) confirmed receiving a formal complaint from the Federal Government against Daily Trust Newspapers regarding a story on the Samoa agreement. In a statement released yesterday, the NMCC (Ombudsman) announced it has initiated an investigation into the matter.
The complaint, dated July 8, was signed by Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, on behalf of the minister, Mohammed Idris. The NMCC statement, signed by Chairman Emeka Izeze and interim secretary Feyi Smith, outlined the government's grievances.
The government's complaint stems from a July 4, 2024, article published by Daily Trust, titled "LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal." The article claimed that Nigeria had endorsed a European Union (EU) partnership agreement known as the "Samoa Agreement" with member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS). According to the report, the agreement included clauses compelling beneficiary nations to support LGBTQ+ rights.
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The government described the report as "false and misleading," alleging it has caused severe national security concerns. The complaint further claimed that the misleading information led to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyber-bullying directed at individuals and government officials on social media.
The Federal Government is requesting the NMCC to:
- Conduct a thorough investigation into the publication.
- Direct Daily Trust to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information with the same prominence as the original article.
- Issue an unequivocal apology for disseminating false information.
- Implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The NMCC has assured the public that it will carry out a comprehensive investigation to address the government's concerns and uphold the standards of responsible journalism.
