The federal government has dragged Daily Trust Newspapers before the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the Ombudsman, over its story on the Samoa agreement.

A statement by NMCC on Sunday acknowledged receipt of the federal government’s complaint and added that investigation into the matter had commenced.

The statement was signed by Emeka Izeze and  Feyi Smith, chairman and interim secretary of NMCC, respectively.

It said that the federal government’s 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 government, according to the statement, alleged that on July 4, 2024, the newspaper published an article “containing false and misleading information that severely threatens national security”.

The statement said that in the complaint, the government alleged that “on July 4, 2024, the newspaper published on its front page, a news item titled ‘LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal”.

“In the report, it said that the government had endorsed a European Union (EU) partnership agreement (referred to as the “Samoa Agreement”), with member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).

It said that the agreement was signed “despite some conditional clauses that compel benefiting nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition”.

The government, according to the statement, described the report as “false and misleading”.

It quoted the government as saying that, as a result of the alleged false report, “individuals and government officials have been subjected to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying across social media”.

According to the statement, the government is, therefore, asking the NMCC to intervene in the matter and, among other things, carry out a thorough investigation of the alleged misleading publication;

It also urged the Ombudsman to direct the newspaper’s management to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information, with equal prominence as the original article.

It also urged the NMCC to direct the newspaper’s management to issue an unequivocal apology for “allegedly recklessly disseminating false information and implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent a repeat of such alleged unwholesome report by any newspaper in the future”.

The NMCC said it had sent a formal acknowledgement letter, dated July 10, and signed by its interim secretary, Feyi Smith, to the ministry, informing it that the complaint was receiving the attention of the commission.

It said that the outcome would be duly communicated to the government.

“The management of Daily Trust will be contacted shortly for its response.

“As an independent media regulatory body, it is our duty to promote media adherence to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.

“We are also expected to ensure that the media operate in a free and unfettered environment,” the commission said.

It said that in accordance with the mandate and its established procedures, it had commenced an investigation into the government’s allegations.

“We assure the public that our inquiry will be thorough and impartial.

“We look forward to receiving the full cooperation of all parties involved and pledge to continue to ensure transparency throughout this process,” it said.

 NMCC is an independent, multi-stakeholder co-regulatory body.

It was established by the Nigerian Press Organisations (NPO), made up of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

It works in collaboration with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

The NMCC is tasked with providing the public with an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press, resolving all complaints quickly, fairly and free of charge.

It is expected to do so, maintaining high standards of journalism practice, journalistic ethics and defending the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

(NAN)