President Bola Tinubu’s government has restated its commitment to freedom of speech and press to promote and provide dividends of democracy to the citizens.

Information minister Mohammed Idris stated this while receiving officials of the International Press Institute, Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement by a ministry spokesman Suleiman Haruna on Wednesday.

According to the minister, freedom of the press plays a pivotal role in the institutionalisation of democracy in the country, adding that it should be recognised for this vital role.

The minister re-echoed the position of Mr Tinubu.

“In a democratic society where the role of the media is established, we must allow it to play its role in reporting and setting agendas for development. We only ask practitioners to be responsible for this duty. The Nigerian polity is desirous of social engineering for which the government requires the support of all stakeholders, including the press.

“Cleaning this system for optimum performance is a collective responsibility,’’ Mr Idris said.

IPI president, Musikilu Mojeed, said the media landscape in Nigeria was improving.

Mr Mojeed called on the government to ensure the safety of journalists.

He reassured the minister, whom he described as a foundation member of the institute in Nigeria, of IPI’s support.

(NAN)