Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris has reassured the United States of Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to the fundamental principles of press freedom.
He said this when he received the United States’ Charge d’Affaires to Nigeria, Mr David Greene, who paid him a courtesy visit.
A statement by Idris’ Special Assistant on Media, Mr Rabiu Ibrahim said on Wednesday that the Minister stressed that press freedom is pivotal in fostering a vibrant democracy and transparency in governance.
According to the minister, “While we are for press freedom, we also want to call on the government of the United States to support efforts at instituting best practices in the media space, particularly fact-checking mechanisms towards reducing the spate of misinformation, fake news, and mal-information”.
The Minister also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, saying it is important for the United States, as a key ally, to deepen support for the Tinubu led-administration and its efforts towards the reengineering of the Nigerian economy on the strength of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He further explained that the Renewed Hope Agenda focusses on food security, poverty eradication, growth, job creation, access to capital, social inclusion, rule of law, and the fight against corruption.
“President Tinubu has since hit the ground running in his quest to attract foreign investments by his physical presence at various economic fora, engagements with business leaders and key stakeholders.
“First was in Paris for the Summit on New Global Financing Pact, followed by the G20 Summit in India, and the recently concluded Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh.
“As you well know, President Tinubu is in Berlin, Germany, to attend the G20 Compact with Africa Conference, in furtherance of his determination to retool the Nigerian economy through strategic partnership,” Idris said.
Speaking earlier Greene said the United States is fully behind Nigeria’s democracy and is supportive of its media growth through the offer of consistent training over the years.
He added that Nigeria is a critical partner in regional security and economic development.
(NAN)
